redearslider.com

I have a 6 year old red eared slider. He was my friends until recently when she moved and I took him for her. He never had any heat lamp or UVB lamp he had a little heater and only ate a high protein diet. Right before I got him his eyes swelled shut and he would sleep all the time. I figured this was due to his habitat and eating.

He now is in a 20 gallon tank, has a big basking area with a heat lamp and UVB lamp his water has a filter and heater and the temp is always around 79 degrees. I got eye drops for his eyes and gave him vitamin baths because he wouldn't eat anything. His eyes are getting much better and he is always in the water when his lights are off. But he still basks most of the day and now his head is bobbing a lot when breathing. I have caught him "yawning" a few times in the past few days and he occasionally seems irritated by something and then either stretches his neck or yawns. I have only seen this about 4 times in 2 days and he is back to eating. He is swimming fine and has no bubbles around his nose out of the water. I also don't hear him gasping for breath he mostly just lays his head on his rock all day.

Could he be starting an RI or is he getting over a general sickness with a little bit of RI? Besides his breathing/yawning he seems to have improved a lot from when I first got him. Why is he now getting an RI?

Any help would be great!!

Sounds like you're doing a great job. I think he is just adjusting while basking. It's a lot of work for them so an occasional yawn is normal. How long have you had him? What's his diet like now?

I have had him in his new tank for one week now. He still eats a lot of protein but he will eat pellets from the pet store now and we spray any meat we give him with a vitamin spray. We tried tomato, a plant that turtles like to eat (I forget the name), and carrots and he won't go near any of them. He needs more veggies but after 6 years of just meat I'm afraid he won't eat any.

So happy to hear he is hopefully just adjusting though! Thank you!!

Check out turtle Jell-O shots:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17486

You can also try soaking a lettuce leaf in the water from a can of tuna.

Hm interesting! Definitely something to try out thanks!!

On this topic, I'm worried that my RES has a respiratory infection.
And I feel horrible that I haven't been recognizing the signs for a month now!! Someone pointed it out to me when I posted what I thought, was a cute picture of him blowing bubbles with his nose. Hope Sheldon will be okay...
I'm going to call a reptile vet tomorrow, there's one 3 mins from my house, and arrange to bring him there on Tuesday.
But until then... I'm just looking to know if increasing his water temperature will indeed, help his immune system fight off a possible infection?

Signs I'm seeing:
Symptoms I am seeing:
• Bubbles blowing out of nose often
• Coughing underwater (looks like he’s gagging/choking, but nothing comes up)
• Yawning quite a bit underwater (is he swallowing water when he does this?)
• Wheezing during the night, rather loudly (once a month- that I’ve heard)
• Sleeping all the time during the day
• Not basking

I knew something was wrong from his sleepy behavior all day long, but had no idea what it could be!! Temps were all correct, he's still eating very well and I've kept up on changing water every week. So, if he has been sick this whole time, I feel horrible for not noticing. I'm new to owning a turtle and have only had him for 2 months.

I increased his water temperature from 75F - 79/80F now. Will that help at all? I keep reading that it'll help his immune system be more active. Is that true?
*Jen*

It should help, though we're not sure how much. How's his appetite? Any listing?

His appetite is great!! I can't seem to feed him fast enough, he gobbles up his food so quickly every night.
I don't know what you mean by listing..

Listing is swimming in a circle or being a bit tilted.

That is difficult for me to measure and observe. I have a 20 gal tank and only 6 gal filled with water. So he doesn't have that much room to swim around. Pebbles are piled on one side of the tank, takes up half the tank, with stone steps for him to climb out and bask.

So, that's something I'll have to ask the vet about to measure in a deeper tank.