Urgent Care :: Is my turtle sick or is it just me?

[Tholapsyx]

How big is your turtle? 1.6 in
How long have you had it? 3 months

What is the water temperature? 80.6 - 84.2
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 13.2 gal
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 86 - 89.6
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? its outside the tank and the ramp connecting those two is made out of dry bamboo
Is there a UVB light? not in the past two weeks

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets ,green/red leaf lettuce ,little dried shrimps ,red pepper(rarely) ,apple(rarely) ,bananas(rarely) ,boiled chicken(once every 2 weeks)
When was the last time your turtle ate? today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?19 gallons
Is the tank near a window?not quite close but right across it
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? in my bedroom but i only go there to sleep or work on my laptop

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? as far as i am aware of ,no


Hello all ,

lately ,my little guy is not so energetic as he used to be (i caught him with his eyes closed during the day) and this behavior got me thinking.Today i watched him for like 15 minutes and i noticed that he opened his mouth like he yawned (underwater) and he sometimes opens his mouth slightly ,although not so often.Recently ,my bulb broke(the turtle wasn't close to it) and i didn't have the chance to replace it cause i have to order them and they usually come after one to two weeks ,so i have been taking him out to the sun these past few days! I really cant think of any reason why he is being lethargic and i would appreciate any kind of ideas or advices!

Thanks in advance!

[Love of Animals]

Maybe it's the warm water 84 is pretty warm. I'd be sleepy too. If he doesn't have symptoms of RI I'd bring the water temp to 78 to 80.

[Tholapsyx]

Yes ,i thought of that too but its been like this since the first day i brought him home ,so my guess is that the water is not the real issue

[happycamper]

Has anything else changed in his habitat recently?

"lately ,my little guy is not so energetic as he used to be (i caught him with his eyes closed during the day) and this behavior got me thinking."

"Yes ,i thought of that too but its been like this since the first day i brought him home ,so my guess is that the water is not the real issue "

So has his behavior changed, or was he always lethargic?

I would make sure all other things like water, lighting and basking temps are perfect, just so you can rule that out as the cause for change in behavior.

[richieboy]

What's the weather like outside where you live?

[Tholapsyx]

Thank you for your quick replies!

@happycamper
When i said that "it has always been like this" i meant the temperature of the water So no ,he wasn't always lethargic.

@richieboy
Well ,lately the temperature has risen to 23-25 Celsius.I know its low for a red eared slider and that was the second thing that came to my mind ,you know ,that what i did was wrong!Maybe he caught a cold or something?

[richieboy]

Well that's not too cold but your turtle is still small. If it's windy out I would be careful. If you see his mouth gaping out of water often that's a problem. Keep an eye on him.

[Tholapsyx]

Yeah ,i also took him out of the water but i didn't notice anything like gaping or difficulty in breathing!I only wish its temporary cause i hate to see him like this.

[Tholapsyx]

I am sorry for the double post
I just wanted to say that i did a test and decreased the water temperature like Love of Animals pointed out and he seems a lot happier now!In all this ,i didn't take into consideration that summer is on its way and everything inside the room is being affected by the heat

I shall keep the thread updated if something goes bad again!
Thanks for all who contributed here

[Love of Animals]

Glad he's feeling better!