Urgent Care :: Is my turtle sick? :(

[mini]

I have 2 turtles where one is bigger (Big Turtle) and the other is smaller (Small Turtle). I had them for about 1.5 months. They were healthy since I got them. Small turtle doesn't seem to do well starting a few days ago. He doesn't like to eat. He only eats when I put the pellet beside him. When he was healthy, he'd chase for the food. And he doesn't like to swim. He's either floating (with his hands holding on to the edge of the basking area) or just sun bath at the basking area with his eyes close. when he floats, his eyes could be close as well. Even when he swim, he tend to swim on the top of the water and he does not dive to the bottom. In the past, he stays in the bottom of the water a lot but not now.

i didn't see him opening his mouth much even when he sleeps while sun bathing. I don't konw if he has an RI or something else. from other posts, he seems to have some symptoms but not all..... But when he sleeps with his eyes close, he looks like he's dead. If I pour water (from the tank) on top of him, I had to do 8 to 10 times to wake him up. In the past, he used to be very sensitive and whenever i walk close by, he'd tried to hide in the rockbed quickly. but now, he doesn't move much even if i walk close to the tank. (Big Turtle still tries to escape as usual but when he sees me holding the food, he'd swims to me)

Here are some info of my small turtle:

How big is your turtle? 1.5 inches
How long have you had it? 1.5 months

What is the water temperature? 79F/26C but now it's turned up to 82F/28C
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 2/3 full
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? 88F/31C
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
Is there a UVB light? Yes (just bought it for about a week)

What have you been trying to feed it? Tetra fauna ReptoMin (turtole food) and Romaine lettuce
When was the last time your turtle ate? a few hours ago. he doesn't eat in the morning and I need to go to work. I feed him again after work and he ate 2 pellet (I think his head size is equivalent 3 to 4 pellet)

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon
Is the tank near a window? Yes but with blinds close
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No, we only watch TV for 2 to 3 hrs at night.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

This topic has my tank setup photo (now has the UVB light as well. it's a compact fluorescent bulb) http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4004

Is my turtle sick?

[missibsu]

While none of us are qualified to diagnose your turtle, I will say that your turtle doesn't have to exhibit all of the signs of RI to have RI. The fact that your turtle isn't swimming, or wanting to get into the water doesn't seem like normal behavior to me. Some illnesses progress quickly, and I would recommend setting an appt with a herp vet as soon as you can.

Also, you should separate your turtles. Because one turt still appears to be healthy, you don't want him to catch whatever it may be. As a precaution you may have the vet check him out as well, if you go.

I notice that you have already bumped up the temps, that is good. You can try smelly foods to see if that entices him...some pellets in tuna juice, or maybe an earth worm.

[mini]

Thanks. Since I don't have another tank to seperate the turtles, should I take the sick Small Turtle into another container with just some water to cover half of it's body (i.e. no water for it to swim)? Or take the healthy Big Turtle away? Thanks.

[missibsu]

That's a debate I'll leave for someone else to answer.

Some would say sick turtle out in shallower water because he isn't swimming well.

Some would say healthy one out because it is less stress.

See what someone else has to say before you make your choice.

[sonyj]

And there's always the fact that you should try to keep the water warmer for the sick one so his immune system can kick in. It would be very hard to do in a small container without a heater. So I'm not sure unless you can get a heater into the separate container what you should do.

[cam722]

If you separate them you'll need a complete setup for the other turtle also because if you don't maintain the proper temperatures you could end up with two sick turtles..

[mini]

Thanks, everyone. I've made an appointment with the vet for tomorrow evening (the earliest i can get). Hopefully, Small Turtle will be okay.

Small Turtle now has a name. I named it "Root" when I call for the vet appointment.

[sarah]

Hey, they sell pet carriers at wal-mart. They are made for small turtles or frogs or w/e you need.
You're turtle would fit in there with water and a rock or something for it to get out on.
It's just a suggestion until you can see what's up with him....


Also, when you can get the money. It's always smart to have another aquarium just in case something like this happens.
I still have my 10 gallon (with frogs in it) and if I ever need to I can move the frogs to their old container to make room for my turtle....

Good luck with the vet :p

[missibsu]

Good Luck, we're rooting for root! Keep us posted on how it goes!

[mini]

Thanks. I tried to feed Root with the pellet soak in tuna juice but it refused to eat. I will try feeding him again later tonight. Hope he'll at least eat some before seeing the vet.

[mini]

I notice that when Root is basking, his shoulder shrugs once every 15 to 20 seconds. and he has his eyes close most of the time. looks like he's very tired even when he's floating on the water.....

[marisa]

Has the turtle seen the vet yet?

[mini]

The vet said Root is very week. He said it probably has pneumonia as his body is not balance when it swam. He also said Root seems not developed well when it was born. He prescripted some antibiotics and injected vitamine A for Root and ask me to feed it with mix veggie baby food. Unfortunately, when I tried to feed Root, he didn't eat at all. When I applied the antibiotics on it for the night time (3 times a day), Root suddenly struggled and then no respond again. then i found that it passed away. ~~>__<~~

My hudsband is very sad. Though we only had Root for 1.5 months. But it's better for Root to rest in peace than suffering from all the illnesses.

I changed the water of the tank and thoroughly rinse everything in the tank so Rocky (the Big Turtle) won't be infected. Rocky has been doing well and I hope he'll keep his good shape.

Thanks everyone for your help and concern. I really appreciate it.

[sonyj]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.

[missibsu]

Sorry for you loss. Keep an eye on Rocky, just to be on the safe side.