Urgent Care :: baby stopped eating

[colinjwp]

When I got 2 babies at the end of December, they were the size of a quarter. One died a month or so later. Both were eating lots of food, in a well-spoiled tank (heater, filter, turtle dock, and tank change every 3 days or so). I still don't know why the baby RES died. After he/she died, the other one started growing fast, eating much more food, usually begging as soon as I walked past the tank after work, and really actually doing fantastic. Then last week, I decided to take out the rocks and change the turtle dock. I don't know if the dramatic "change" in the tank did something, but he/she is not eating. Up until now, this turtle ate EVERYTHING we put in the tank. I was shocked at how much he/she could eat. Now, even if I put the food directly on the dock (like I did before), he/she doesn't even see it. The first dock was a more natural looking dock with green (moss-like) color on it. The new one is a creme color. I swear, it's as though the turtle can't see anything anymore. It still goes a little crazy when I walk past the tank, so I know (I hope) it didn't go blind, but now he/she is on that darn turtle dock 85% of the time. Nothing has changed other than taking out the rocks, and changing the dock. Could the change have been too much? Could there be a reflection off the glass that is blinding him/her? I'm starting to worry.

[marisa]

They can take a little time to adapt to changes, but it sounds like your RES adjusted to the new dock just fine. When on the dock, is your RES alert or just lay there?

If there are no other symptoms/unusual behavior, for now, I'd keep giving him some food and see if he eats it. I'd put it in the water, though. I can see putting some food on a dock when it's new to help coax a turtle to get used to it, but can't see making a turtle climb out of the water to get food and bring it back into the water to eat...

From what you wrote, it sounds like your RES is fed quite a bit. Perhaps s/he's just not that hungry.

I doubt that any reflection is to blame, but if you think there may be a problem, adjust the light.

It would be good to recheck the water temp just to make sure the heater is working.

[colinjwp]

For starters, I bought two babies and named them Ray and Dawn. I mentioned the one died, so I'm going to call the one I have Ray-Dawn, since I can't determine the sex yet! So, yes, surprisingly, RD adjusted very well (too well I think) to the dock. There are no other symptoms yet, but he still does not see the food floating in the water. Up until last week, as soon as we were in sight, RD would go crazy, we'd feed him, and he would devour every bite. Now, he goes less crazy, and when we try to feed him (he ate right out of our hands while in the water), he doesn't even notice our hand above his head, or the food around him. Trust me, I spoil this baby! I check the water temperature frequently, change the tank every few days, and still haven't seen RD eat. I still haven't seen any eating. Thanks so much for your input. I appreciate it.
I'd also like to add photos. How do I do that?

[colinjwp]

Now, it's 10 am and RD is still on the dock. He now looks like he's gasping for air. I think he was foaming out of his mouth and nose briefly but as he breathes, he opens his mouth. I tried to force feed him, but he didn't really eat. There are no vets open, so I'm just keeping his tank warmer and keeping a good eye on him. I've put so much into them (the other one died a month and a half ago), and I was devastated when the first one passed. This is killing me to see such a dramatic change in a week.

[colinjwp]

It's 12:37 pm. I would have felt horrible doing nothing, so I found a Vet 10 miles away, packed up my little guy and went to get him all better. The Vet said it was RI (I knew that), and gave him a shot and a two week supply of Baytril. I'm crossing my fingers. When I had him in a container with a towel to and from the Vet's office, he had a lot of energy. You wouldn't think that anything was wrong. On a good note, the Vet said that RD was extremely healthy looking (strong thick shell, obviously nourished, etc.) for such a smaller RES. He also said something that surprised me--that they are able to go without food for a week or two. I didn't think that was possible.
Now I just went to check on him, and his head was laying out on the dock, like he was dying. It's like a flip of a switch with him right now....
Thanks to all of you for your advise, input, and ideas. I'm really glad I found this website!

[Turtle Mummy 101]

colinjwp: It sounds as if you've done everything right for RD. From what you've described in your post recent post it sounds as if your RES has an RI. It's possible it could have caught something from your other RES or during a water change. With RI's though you never really know how they catch it, although it's quite common in hatchlings. I do know that they don't really start to show signs of illness until they are seriously ill. In the case of an RI, a vet visit is a MUST - my suggestion is to call around and see if theres any vets open on Saturdays or an emergency clinic. If you can't get RD in anywhere this weekend just make sure you get an appointment asap next week. The quicker you see a vet, the better the chance your RES will survive.

For now, the important thing is to get RD to eat. Have you tried smelly foods such as tuna? The smellier the food the greater the chance your RES will eat it. Other than that, I can suggest keeping the temps really warm and dry docking. Other than a vet visit, theres not much you can do.

[Turtle Mummy 101]

colinjwp: I just read your above post (we must have been typing our posts at the same time). Thats GREAT!! I'm sure your little guy will make it through. You seem really dedicated to RD and willing to do anything. I hope RD fully recovers. Good luck

[colinjwp]

It has now been a week. To this day I think that if I did not take RD to the vet, s/he would have died. I knew it was a RI, and I paid $100 to keep this little guy from dying. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY! I've had to give him/her a shot of Baylin every other day since Sunday. After the vet gave RD the first shot on Sunday, RD seemed to be getting back to normal. On Wednesday after work, s/he was foaming and gasping again. I gave RD the shot, and s/he's been fine ever since. Although s/he's not really eating--I've seen RD take a few bites here and there--s/he's doing OK. S/he hates me now and freaks out when I come to the tank because of the pain those tiny Baylin shots have caused. At least s/he's alive and well. BTW, the vet said that he's NEVER seen a turtle with a shell so hard (strong), and can tell that I've taken extremely great care of RD (feeding RD very well).

[marisa]

Baytril (I'm assuming that's what you mean) will surpress the appetite while the turtle is on it. The appetite should return when treatment has ended.

[colinjwp]

Oh! That's good to know. That explains why s/he eats a little bit more on the days we don't give the shot! Thanks for the info. And yes, it is Baytril. We were given 8 shots to administer (every other day).
Have a great weekend!