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Hello,


I would like help with what my turtle is experiencing, like what kind of illness.. or if there's any home remedies, or any medicine I can find in pet shops. I'm from Singapore.

A week ago or so my youngest turtle started making clicking noises when he sleeps. His head will go to the surface of the water and open his mouth, letting out bubbles and clicking sounds, as if his nose is blocked.

Then, around 3 days ago, he stopped eating like usual (he eats a moderate amount, and he does beg for food in the past). He won't open his eyes at all, and when he does, the eyes seem dead to me (though not completely blind-looking) and one of the eyes have half of the front covered in a translucent film. He will occasionally use his front leg to rub it, then he will close the eye again.

When taken out, he won't move an inch and won't open his eyes..
Just a few days ago he would explore the area around his home like a healthy turtle, even though he already had the breathing difficulty..

The turtle is around 3.5cm
I have him for almost 2 months

I do not have any heater, lamps, etc. Only water and stones for him and another turtle. They live together but there's no seen conflicts. Though I suspect that the other turtle (2x his size) may have scratched the sick one with the claws and chasing after food.
The stones are easy to climb on, but the sick one rarely climbs it.

I feed it regular pellets, green in colour. The food shouldn't be the cause since the bigger turtle is healthy.

The tank has plenty of room for activity, and it's near sunlight.

I have read some basic care, and has searched for similar situations in the forums, and I suspect it might be respiratory infection.





And this is the other turtle he was with. Now they are separated so that the small one mentioned can have his own food.

I'd keep them separated but also feed the bigger one less. Some direct sunlight can help, but I'd also try some cod liver oil (the type that comes in a capsule as health supplement).

What brand pellets are you using?

Hello, thanks for the reply.

I'd separated them but my parents put them back together because the small one refused to eat when alone, and when they are together, the small one would eat a bit.

Today both eyes have the film covering half the eyes.
The previous eye is worse now, slightly yellowish.

I'll try some cod liver oil, thanks! Where do I use them on though, for the small turtle's consumption? Just to be sure, thanks!

This is the pellet brand I'm using, it's something local.




And this is his eye today. Couldn't get a good shot..



And thanks for the tips!

Edit: Is it okay to try some eye drops for terrapins on the turtle? Thanks!
Edit #2: I tried to drip some Azoo Turtle Eyedrops (It's made in taiwan)

silverpierce wrote:I'd separated them but my parents put them back together because the small one refused to eat when alone, and when they are together, the small one would eat a bit.

Take the larger one out when feeding the smaller one. How are they certain the small one ate?

I have not heard of that brand of drops, but its worth a dry. The cod liver oil you can apply straight to the eye/eyelid.

My mother saw the small one open his eyes and ate.

I've separated them since I saw your last post, though.

Now the small one doesn't eat at all, and he rarely opens his eyes now. He poops a little once in a while. He also goes frantic when he hears noise around him.

I've just applied the eye drops on him, so in a while I'll apply the cod liver oil.

Thanks again!

Have you tried to give him direct sunlight to bask? If he can't see, he likely won't eat.

Hi steve,

No I haven't tried. I'll try it ASAP when I'm free.
Thanks!

Update: The turtle can't make it any more.. so we let him out to the nature after he died.

Thanks for the help though!

Wait...what do you mean you let him out to nature? Do you put a dead turtle with an infection in a waterway?

According to my father he buried him into the grass outside the house. We live in flats here so no houses nor yards. Is it bad? Sorry!

No that's fine.

Just for future notice:

Sometimes when turtles are sick, or close to dying, they go lifeless, but are indeed, still alive. There bodies are shutting down. At this point there is nothing you can do usually. I usually wrap them in a paper tower and put them in the fridge for an hour. If there was any life left, this slows down their organs. After an hour, I put them in the freezer until burial. This puts them into permanent hibernation (kills them). It's a painless way to go.

But that's only so I don't risk burying a barely alive turtle.

Wow, I see. Thanks for informing me! Hopefully I won't need to do this in the near future. I was looking for a way to let my small one die painlessly but I didn't know how..

I am sorry for your loss! :'(