Urgent Care :: my turtle's eyes...

[JessicaTS]

Quick thinking... constantly change water and replacing your turtle back and forth will cause stress. It's the one thing you should avoid right now. Getting the heater is the best and easiest solution here until you can get him to a vet.

[88_keys]

where can i purchase a heater?

[marisa]

Go to a petstore--places like Petco, Petsmart, even smaller mom and pop stores should sell them. To calculate the wattage you need, allow 5 watts per gallon of water. A fullish 10-gallon tank would need at least a 50-watt heater, for example. You want to set the temp to 81-82F (check with a thermometer). Let the heater sit in the water for about 15 minutes before turning it on.

[JessicaTS]

a simple pet store should carry heaters.

[88_keys]

ok. there is a pet store close to me that i will check out for lights.

[88_keys]

is there anything else i can do for him before i can see a vet?

[marisa]

Just keep him warm (the temps for a sick turtle were given previously) and out of drafts/breezes. Is he eating?

[88_keys]

i don't think he is. i put some food right by his face and he didn't eat it.

[JessicaTS]

A good diet. Make sure he is offered lots of greens and calcium. Stay away from fatty foods that has packed-in sugar and protein.

[JessicaTS]

What were you trying to feed him?

[88_keys]

Hatchling Aquatic Turtle Food. A vitamin-enriched floating pellet food for hatchling aquatic turtles.

[JessicaTS]

Keep the pellets to a minimum. Leave some greens and a small amount of pellets in the tank and leave the room for a little while. Come back and see if he has eaten anything.
It is normal when a turtle with RI refuses to eat.

[88_keys]

ok.. how did he get this anyway?

[JessicaTS]

Respiratory infection is usually caused by breezes, lack of vitamin a, stress, and bacteria. All that moving from one to another could have done it. It's a bit early for hatchlings to start with veggies but veggies will supply vitamin a, which is why I strongly advise you to leave in some greens.
Just a fyi.... respiratory infection is the great killer of most turtles. So take all the advice you can get, and a visit to the vet is a must, asap.

[88_keys]

it could also be from him being in an air conditioned apartment from when i was visiting my sister..
so should i put like lettuce and spinach and brocoli and cucumbers in it? stuff like that??