Urgent Care :: Lethargic Turtle....Please help!

[Sheri0611]

I have 2 Peninsula Cooters.....just recently purchased! They were so happy at the start. Have them about 2 weeks. Just the other day they became lethargic and stopped eating! Please help! First time turtle owners!

[cam722]

I'm not sure if many of us are familiar with Peninsula Cooters. You may want to go to Austin's Turtle Pages and check out their forums...

I believe this one should cover Cooters... Good luck.

http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showforum=4

[Sheri0611]

Thanx!!! Will try! I have been looking online all night but think all I can do is look for a vet. Not even sure if I can find one local! If anyone knows anything, please help!

[cam722]

Did you check out this post with a list of herp vets? I wish I could be of more help.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=370

[Sheri0611]

Thank you again!!! Will give one of the vets a call in the morning....so worried about them......what do they say about the RES if they have the same symptoms?

[cam722]

I've done a quick search on Austin's Turtle Page for the requirements for Florida Cooters.. I'm assuming they are the same as a Peninsula Cooter? They seem to be the same requirements as for RES or very similar.

What sort of setup do you have? What are the water temps and Basking temps?? Sometimes if the water is too warm it can create these problems.


Do they appear to have puffy/swollen eyes? Any bubbles coming out of their noses, swimming lopsided? Those are things we'd normally look for in a RES. Just some of the things we'd ask about an RES with the same sort of symptoms

btw: This is the page I was looking at for the requirements. I'm not sure if you know them or not, but it never hurts to be sure

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-flcooter.htm

[Sheri0611]

The light I have that goes in the top of the tank lid does not seem to be a heat lamp......maybe I should look into that....I have to tell you that the paper I have say he is a cooter but he looks like a slider....hummmm......

[jenaero]

can you post a pic so we can help identify him?

[Sheri0611]

OK....I have a pic of them on my computerhowever I have just learned I can not download it to this site......HELP! I also took a pic of the tank and filter.....I honestly think the filter was driving them crazy due to the waterfall effect (and noise from the waterfall) it made! I turned it off since yesterday and now they are moving around alittle.....but not like they were in the beginning.......poor little guys.

[cam722]

you have to download it to another site and then link it to here. Some use photobucket.. I personally prefer Yahoo Photos since I have a yahoo account already

[marisa]

Cooters and RES have similar needs (Cooters grow bigger, though). And symptoms of RI would be the same for both. How big are your turtles?

What are the temps of the basking area and water?

Do they have any other symptoms? Swollen eyes, open-mouth breathing?

Having them checked by a herp vet would be good. Let us know what happens.

[Sheri0611]

ok....I am having a prob creating a an avatar.....but here is a link to some photos! Hope this works!! Please help!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ohey2u2/a ... /my_photos

They are not blowing any bubbles, no swollen eyes....no other symptoms but lethargic and not eating....or at least I do not catch them eating....temp of the tank is about 72 degrees

[marisa]

OK, Turtle 2 in pic 3 is a RES (the red on the side of the face is a dead giveaway). I'm assuming Turtle 1 has similar markings so...you have 2 cute RES.

But, is that what you're keeping them in? They need a proper tank (20-gallons would be good) with a basking area and proper lighting. The lightbulb you have is OK for heat but they also need a UVB light (it's flourescent and doesn't give off heat).

As was asked before, what is the temp of the basking area and water? If the water is too cool, they'll become inactive and won't eat. Basking area temp should be 88-90F and the water should be about 78F (if you can't maintain it at this temp, get a submersible water heater).

What have you been feeding them, how much and how often?

They need a lot more than they currently have to thrive. Read the info on the forums. Also read http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articl ... chling.htm

Please get them a proper tank (think 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell length) and what they need to grow. If you have specific questions, just post.