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Hello everyone! Its been a few months since I've been back. If you don't recall, I had a RES named Willy that died of RI back around Feb/Mar. Its taken me a while to get a new turtle, but I finally got Wilson last thursday. Today when I was feeding Wilson in a dish pan, I noticed him leaning heavily on his right side in the water. He was also sleeping a lot yesterday. Wilson is a little over 1in long. He isn't breathing with his mouth open and doesn't have swollen eyes. Does this sound like early symptoms of RI? I really hope not!! If it is, then I must have the worst luck with RES ever!!!! He is in a 55 gallon tank, has UVA and UVB light, basking temp is about 92, water temp is about 80, and I have a fluval 4plus filter. What do you guys think I should do?

Was he only like that in the feeding pan?

Well...since he was sleeping a lot yesterday...I couldn't really tell. He sleeps with one leg on his floating long and his body between the sides of the tank and the log. If that makes any sense.

Yes that makes sense. Little turtles like to sleep squeezed into tight places like that.

How is he doing today?

You know that symptoms of RI - lethargy, poor appetite, swimming lopsided or difficulty submerging, breathing with the mouth open a lot or yawning, swollen eyes, mucus around the mouth or nose. If little Wilson is starting to show these symptoms then the only thing you can do is get him to a vet. When a turtle has RI his chances are best if he's treated early on and aggressively.

It sounds like you're doing everything right. Good luck -- I hope it's nothing and Wilson is fine today. Keep us posted.

Well...I worked a lot today...but again he was sleeping a lot today. Is it normal for baby turtles to sleep so much? As for his appetite...it's like everyother day he seems to eat. But I think most of that is because he is so affraid of me(he just sticks his head out of the water and stares at me and darts away if I flinch)...and only eats when he is starving. I also haven't seen him basking very much. I figured it's just because he is just trying to get used to his new home and things.

So basically my worries are about the leaning towards his right side and the excessive sleeping.

Is he still leaning when he"s in the water?

hey my turtle is doing the exact same thing
except for the swimming side ways
hes sleeping a lot

It's not particularly normal for a turtle to sleep all the time. However, new turtles tend to sometimes appear lethargic or inactive (or, conversely, very skittish) as they adjust to their new environment.

Swimming sideways, however, is not a good sign at all. Monitor your turtle carefully, and if these symptoms persist or worsen, then it's definitely time for a visit to the vet.

how long have you had him?

He's not really swimming sideways...his right sides just hangs down when he is floating....kinda like something is pushing him down on the right side. I've only had him since last thursday, so he is definitely still adjusting to the new environment and things. Do you think that may be the reason for the excessive sleeping?

maybe. but I would still keep an eye out for anything else, it shouldnt appear like anything is 'pushing' his right side..if the problem doesnt go away soon I would get a vet, definitley. Where did you get him from?

The reason everyone keeps mentioning lopsided swimming, or any kind of leaning to one side or the other, is because during a respiratory infection the lungs may fill up with fluid on either side and in so doing weigh that side down. So any kind of sideways anything is cause for worry, and it doesn't necessarily have to appear while they're in the motion of swimming (I'd assume).

Like xsavingsaturdayx said, if it doesn't go away fairly soon, jump over to the nearest herp vet. The quicker you catch these things, the more likely they'll pull through.

One thing I noticed with my turtle, though (which is fairly young, as well...though not sure how old), is that over time he became a better swimmer. In the beginning I thought I was noticing all of these symptoms , such as lopsided-swimming and inactivity and swollen eyes (like a hypochondriac), and I had a lot of questions and worries and was in fact not sure what was considered normal for a turtle. Maybe it was because he got comfortable, or just learned how to interact with the water better, or I finally did enough research, I'm not sure. But everything turned out to be perfect.

So, on the bright side, it might be nothing at all.

Still, err on the side of caution.

Yea...I heard the lungs filling up with fluid would cause lopsidedness, so thats why I was worried. But you described it perfectly Threepwood, even though I've done a lot of research and have all the necessities for a RES, I'm still not sure what is normal behavior and what isn't. I'll keep and eye on him for sure. I'll keep you all posted.

Wilson again...looks like he is sleeping a lot. I took him out of his tank and put him in his dish pan to feed him. He ate 5 reptomin baby pellets pretty fast. I tested his water and ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrates are 0.

Congratulations on your clean water! A lot of people don't understand that, even though their turtle's water looks clean, it can be unhealthy if it ammonia and nitrites accumulate.

It's also a good sign that your turtle has a healthy appetite. Is he still tilting when he floats?