Urgent Care :: Adult RES sparingly using his back legs

[leftysmoke]

I've had my RES for about 2 1/2 years and he has always done very well. Well, long story short, I found him flipped on his back, in the water, TWICE. When I found him, he was completely limp. I immediately took him out of the tank and tried to rouse him because I was terrified that he might be dead. He slowly began to come back to consciousness and was back to normal a few hours later. I took him to the vet and everything checked out (no disease, respiratory issues, nada). The vet suspected that he might have been knocking himself out because he loves to basically dive off of his dock (his name is Charger). The vet said he was extremely healthy besides being a tad overweight. Other than his pudginess, the vet said he was one of the healthiest turtles that he's ever seen.

It was a relief to hear how healthy he was, but a week and a half has passed and he now all of a sudden seems to be experiencing a new problem. I felt bad for him, so I went ahead and upgraded to a 75g tank to give him some more room, but he has been rather inactive lately. He is usually next to the heater (water temp is perfect at 75 degrees) and hasn't been eating as much as usual. The biggest problem is that he seems to be having trouble moving his back legs. He kind of waddles when he needs to move, which might explain his inability to properly eat. I took him out and touched his legs to see if he had movement, and they seemed to be alright. Sometimes they seem limp or he just keeps them tucked.

I'm getting worried about him and I have no idea what the problem is. His water is maintained fanatically, he has a variety of foods including dried shrimp (his favorite), sticks etc... I'm going to start feeding him more plants, such as spinach or shredded carrots. Anyway, I take very good care of him.

Also, I'm not sure if this matters or not, but his tank gets a decent amount of hair and "fuzz" from the location he is in. His previous tank never had this issue, so maybe he is ingesting a lot of this hair and fuzz which could be causing digestion issues? I plan on moving the tank within the next few days.

Thoughts? I appreciate any help or suggestions very much!

[steve]

Bump up the water temperatures for now. Has he been pooping? Do you have gravel in the tank? Are you sure you have a male?

[leftysmoke]

Bump up the water temperatures for now. Has he been pooping? Do you have gravel in the tank? Are you sure you have a male?

He hasn't been pooping as much as usual. I just cleaned his tank and the water is a solid 80 degrees now. As for the turtle's sex, I've been under the impression that it's a male. I told the vet "his" name was Charger and he never said it wasn't a male. Maybe he just assumed that I knew? Hmm...

The tank has been moved to a location that is fuzz/hair free. I noticed today that my turtle is having a hard time maneuvering. Very worrisome.

[leftysmoke]

No gravel btw.

[steve]

Is the turtle listing in any direction? Does he walk on land with any difficulty? If you can post a picture, we should be able to determine what you have.

[leftysmoke]

Is the turtle listing in any direction? Does he walk on land with any difficulty? If you can post a picture, we should be able to determine what you have.

I wouldn't say he is listing in any direction. He does "hobble" on the bottom of the tank, instead of flat out swimming to where he wants to go. However, his movement and activity have increased the last couple of days. He hasn't been basking and is shedding a lot, but I've seen him shed like this before. He's moving his back legs somewhat, but they still look tired or injured.

Here's a pic:

[Love of Animals]

His shell looks beautiful. Is it possible to take a picture of the area dry? A picture of your whole tank set up would be great as well. A pic of the fuzz would be helpful too. What color is the fuzz and what is it on? Glad you already took him to the vet. I hope we an help figure out what's going on.

[PridgNYC]

He does look good, and I'm glad you upgraded to the 75 gallon, because he is big. How do you know the temps are perfect? I used that same heater in my 10 gallon, and it works fine in a small tank, but it doesn't have nearly enough wattage for a 75 gallon. That may explain why he is lethargic and hangs out by the heater. Even in my 10 gallon, my turtle would camp on top of that heater when his basking light was off. In a 75 gallon, you want at least a 200-300 watt heater, or multiple small heaters.

[leftysmoke]

His shell looks beautiful. Is it possible to take a picture of the area dry? A picture of your whole tank set up would be great as well. A pic of the fuzz would be helpful too. What color is the fuzz and what is it on? Glad you already took him to the vet. I hope we an help figure out what's going on.

The fuzz is clear. Like skin. Here's a pic of the tank setup (I haven't got any toys, yet. Any ideas?):



And a pic of the fuzz/skin (look at his neck):

He does look good, and I'm glad you upgraded to the 75 gallon, because he is big. How do you know the temps are perfect? I used that same heater in my 10 gallon, and it works fine in a small tank, but it doesn't have nearly enough wattage for a 75 gallon. That may explain why he is lethargic and hangs out by the heater. Even in my 10 gallon, my turtle would camp on top of that heater when his basking light was off. In a 75 gallon, you want at least a 200-300 watt heater, or multiple small heaters.

The heater supposedly works for "up to 45 gallons", and that's approximately how much water is in the tank. I've never filled it to the top, but pretty close. I'd like to get a better heater, but maybe I should just get another small one? I have a thermometer on the opposite side of the tank, away from the heater, and it is always at 74-75 degrees.

I appreciate all of the help and comments very much. Thanks for the compliments on his shell too! The vet said the same thing lol.

[Love of Animals]

You should get a larger heater. Is that a MVB bulb or just a basking bulb? If it's not a MVB bulb then it's probably just a basking bulb that provides heat and UVA. You'll need another lamp with a bulb that specifies UVB to go along with that one. Do you see the fuzz when the turtle is out of the water? Sometimes normal shedding can be seen in the water as wisps coming off the skin, but it can't be seen out of the water. If it can be seen out of the water I would worry about a fungus. Can you give us a pic of the fuzz when out of the water. What type of filtration are you using? How are his back legs doing?

[leftysmoke]

You should get a larger heater. Is that a MVB bulb or just a basking bulb? If it's not a MVB bulb then it's probably just a basking bulb that provides heat and UVA. You'll need another lamp with a bulb that specifies UVB to go along with that one. Do you see the fuzz when the turtle is out of the water? Sometimes normal shedding can be seen in the water as wisps coming off the skin, but it can't be seen out of the water. If it can be seen out of the water I would worry about a fungus. Can you give us a pic of the fuzz when out of the water. What type of filtration are you using? How are his back legs doing?

No fuzz when he's out of the water. I think it's just skin. He's been a lot more active and seems to be doing pretty good now (back legs are moving when he goes up to the top). I had a MVB setup but it broke. The filtration is turtle-specific and works great. It's a multi-filtration system that supports up to 50 gallons. It's been keeping the water extremely clean.

[Love of Animals]

Glad there's no fuzz out of the water. Just normal shedding. Try to get another hood lamp to go along with your other one and get a UVB specific bulb. Get at least a 5.0. A lot cheaper than the MVB and it will help with shedding. Glad your filter is working good. You should still do partial water changes due to nitrate build up. As for toys and decorations a lot of us use play sand for the bottom and fake plants. He'll enjoy exploring. You can also add a feeder fish or two to liven things up. Is it possible to raise your water level? They love to swim. Overall he looks in good shape.

[steve]

Has he shown any sensitivity around the legs when you touch it?

[leftysmoke]

Glad there's no fuzz out of the water. Just normal shedding. Try to get another hood lamp to go along with your other one and get a UVB specific bulb. Get at least a 5.0. A lot cheaper than the MVB and it will help with shedding. Glad your filter is working good. You should still do partial water changes due to nitrate build up. As for toys and decorations a lot of us use play sand for the bottom and fake plants. He'll enjoy exploring. You can also add a feeder fish or two to liven things up. Is it possible to raise your water level? They love to swim. Overall he looks in good shape.

I got a 250w heater today, which has a temperature dial. It's working great. He still likes to stay underneath of it, so maybe it's habit? I will get a UVB bulb tomorrow. When you say partial water changes, how much exactly (3/4, I'm assuming)? I've been doing complete water changes, but it's a pain in the [---] now with such a big tank. I will add more water, as well. Like I said, it's a pain to get the water in and out since he's in my "man cave" via the basement. I'm thinking of investing in one of the long siphon hoses that connect to your faucet. That would make water changes/re-fills a whole lot easier. I currently have a siphon but it's smaller and I have to empty the tank, bucket by bucket.

Has he shown any sensitivity around the legs when you touch it?

He moves them a bit, but it's usually more. He has always been a little jittery.

How do you guys manage your water? He has had a Plecostomus for a buddy during basically his entire life. I got him to help the tank clean and he does a great job with the filter. Thanks again for all of the help and tips!

[PridgNYC]

I use a Fluval FX5 for my 75 gallon which is about 3/4 full (it is rated for up to 400 gallon tanks with fish) and filters about 600 gallons per hour with media. So far I haven't done any water changes as it is still cycling, but the water is still crystal clear. (it's been almost a month) Once the cycle is complete, I'll probably do 10-15% water changes once a week and filter cleanings once a month (or two or three, depending on how nasty this first one is). I have one of those python style siphons to assist with the changes, and it works well (did a few fills and changes while I was setting up the tank to get rid of fine sediment from the sand substrate)

For the top of the tank I used a standard glass aquarium top on one side and on the side with the basking platform, one of the light diffuser plastic grids (commonly called egg crate, although I have no idea why) most hardware stores should have them in the lighting section.