I think my turtle has RI and it really comes to no surprise for me, I haven't been the best owner to him. Today, I came home after a long day spent with a friend to find him sitting on his basking dock staring out the side of his tank. Didn't even flinch when I sat down next to the tank which is not normal, he's still a little weary of me. I got his pellets out, he normally gets all excited for them, swimming to the side of the tank to receive them. He didn't move. I picked him up and instead of retreating inside his shell, his neck limply hung over the side of my hand.
He felt fairly cold, so I took him downstairs to put him into some warmer water and possibly make it easier for me to feed him. As I filled a container with warmer water, I felt him gasp repetitively in my hand, something he's never done before. I worried about him and set him in warm, shallow water with a few pellets to see if he'd eat. He entirely ignored the pellets and sat in the water, motionless. When I touch him he just barely moves. His neck also keeps blowing up like a balloon, it's scaring me.
I'm almost positive it's RI. I know I need to take him to a vet and I pleaded with my parents to take him with me tomorrow after school. We do have a vet in town but have no idea if they'll take reptiles so we think we may call the local pet store, that sells res, to see if they can help. (I also think they have an office inside their shop) For now I'm keeping a constant watch on him.
I feel terrible. I haven't been very good to him and I admit that. I hope to purchase more things for him tomorrow and get him into a bigger tank very soon. If he doesn't make it, I can't imagine how awful I'll feel. I need to make changes and soon.
