Urgent Care :: George and Weezy have pneumonia

[Spiritualjoy]

I have had the canister filter for about 6 months. I have NO idea what happened to it. The motor just burned up and the water started pouring out of the top. I WISH I could return it, but I think the warranty is out. It sits on the shelf below the tank and nothing touched it - just decided to blow!

[megcornell]

Where did you buy it? Sometimes pet stores have different return policies than the actual company that produces the product (and supports the warranty). I know most of the major chain stores will accept broken equipment with the receipt long after you've purchased it... I'd think 6 months would be reasonable. Canister filters are too expensive to be replacing all the time

[Spiritualjoy]

I am pretty sure I bought it from Petsmart. I am going to dig through my turtle file and see if I saved the receipt. It has got to be somewhere! You are right - they should be willing to do something. I was just thinking I just bought it in September - thats only 4 months! Thanks for the motivation - I will get right on it.

[Spiritualjoy]

Well, they had another vet visit this morning and another shot. It was a different vet in the same office I was going to, and she was really great. She said that they looked really good for their health issues, and that it seemed like they were improving. They also both gained another gram - woo hoo! She sat with me for a while, and gave me all kinds of ideas to get them to eat (which they still haven't done...arghhh). I had to buy another smaller aquarium to put them in to feed them. With the river rock on the bottom, the food slips easily under it and they cant get to it. Its going to take them a while to adjust to that, I'm sure!

Right now they are actually BASKING - I can't believe it!! I worked out getting another canister filter to replace the one that broke, and they have been swimming all around. Now if I can just get the eating issue resolved!! Things are looking up - only one more set of shots to go!!

[Spiritualjoy]

This is George and Weezy right now! I cant believe it!

[SpotsMama]

Really adorable turtles. They don't look emaciated to me. Maybe they were fat when they got sick and have been living off their fat.

[Spiritualjoy]

LOL - who knows! I cant figure out for the life of me how they are gaining weight when I haven't seen them eat ONE thing! I swear they have figured out how to call out for pizza when I am asleep.

I couldnt bring myself to take pictures of them when they were at their worst - its something I never want to see again!!

[wezeles]

awsome they turned around really fast... great news

[Spiritualjoy]

Well, I know we still have a ways to go but things are definitely looking UP. They had a lot of mucous coming out of their mouths today and out of their noses. I havent seen that before. The eyes aren't all the way back either- but I will take what I can at this point. Still struggling trying to get them to eat, but I will keep at it!

[marisa]

Cute turtles . Glad to hear they're doing better. Just curious, but are their shells, especially the turtle on the right, a little lumpy or is it just the pic?

Btw, Perhaps I wasn't clear before, but plain Pedialyte, mixed 50/50 with water and used as a soak (not continually in the water as you would Reptisafe) is an acceptable way to provide electrolytes and provide hydration to a malnourished or dehydrated turtle.

[Spiritualjoy]

Yes, that's exactly how I was doing it. Things are better today - they both ate a few worms and some salmon. They aren't all the way back - but there are definitely signs of improvement.

Yes, their shells are lumpy. The vet pointed it out to me and said that it was poor nutrition and said I had to get their diets on track. I really dont know what to do besides offer them a wide variety of good foods every day until they eat something! I started them on turtle vita vega min and lots of veggies. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

One more thing - George has started biting his front feet. Any idea why he would be doing this??

[megcornell]

I'm so happy to see that they are doing better!!!
Every once in a while my turtle Leo picks at her feet in the water, I think it might be because she's shedding and is just helping the old skin slough.
As for the feeding, once they get back on track health-wise you may want to try a bit of tough love. You'll probably have to dip their pellets into salmon or tuna juice to entice them, but I'd offer nothing but pellets and healthy veggies. They'll have to decide that they like something. The more popular veggies on here with turtles seem to be grapes, lettuce, and carrots, so I'd start with those.
It's really tough getting turtles to eat healthy once they've started eating a less than great diet, but they'll catch on sooner or later- the important thing is that they are eating now and getting better.

[marisa]

For the time being, it is more important that they eat something, even if the diet isn't as balanced as one would like it.

Turtle Vita Vega Min is a supplement?

Do you have a Petsmart near you? If you do, check to see if they have a frozen food section. If they do, look for some San Francisco Bay Brand Aquatic Turtle Food. It's a blister pack of frozen cubes that contain bits of veggies like dandelions, anachris, carrots combined with the smell of fish from pollock (I think) plus a few other goodies and nutrients thrown in. Try a cube or two on them (I cut the cubes into quarter-size for smaller turtles). See if they like that.

About the feet---is the turtle shedding skin? Do you see any loose skin hanging off him when he's in the water?

[Spiritualjoy]

Yes, the Turtle Vita is a supplement. I put a couple drops on their lips every day. Sometimes it actually goes in their mouth!

There is a Petsmart right down the road - I will take a trip over there and see if they have it. They have a frozen food section in the back, all I have to do is ask for what I want. Thanks for the tip - that actually sounds like they might eat that!

Now for the feet - I dont think they are shedding at all. Its odd - he just starts snapping at his front feet when he is trying to go to sleep on the bottom of the tank. The only thing I have seen hanging off of him is mucus from his mouth and eyes. Cant for the life of me figure out what he is doing or why.

[marisa]

I should tell you that it can be quite messy, especially as it thaws, so it's good you have a feeding container for them (a small aquarium wasn't necessary, something like a dishpan would have been adequate to feed them in).

He snaps at his feet only at that time? And he just starting doing it?