Urgent Care

How big is your turtle? 1.5 inches in carapace length
How long have you had it? 1 Month 2 Weeks

What is the water temperature? 82
Did you use a thermometer? Don't have one, but the Heatstick shows the water temp.
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 6 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? Reptisafe Waterconditioner
Are you using any filtration? 2 Water Filters

What is the basking temperature? 80-85 Degrees
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? 1 lb Rock
Is there a UVB light? Yes, 10.0

What have you been trying to feed it? Turtle pellets, fish and earthworms.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 8 days ago.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallon
Is the tank near a window? No.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes.

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

So 8 Days ago I got a new 10.0 UVB Bulb, and 4 minnows for the Turtle, The Turtle shockingly ate 3 of the minnows.
I always brought my Turtle outside after every feeding to get some real sunlight to help digest its food, but after I got the 10.0 UVB I thought everything would be alright because the Turtle would properly digest its food, boy was I wrong, that Turtle has not pooped ever since those 8 days, and I check on my Turtle 12 times a day, lately I have been bringing the Turtle outside for 2-4 hours, but it still has not pooped, its refusing to eat, being super lethargic, and its shell is starting to show its back bones. Like what looks like its rib cage starting to come out. I have given it Charcoal baths, because I know that Charcoal helps draw out toxins and poisons, because I think the Turtle may be getting poisoned from the fishes that are still rotting inside of it. Do you know any way on how I can help this Turtle get rid of the fish inside of it, will castor or mineral oil help? Also I think the 10.0 UVB is not working at all, because the Turtles shell is getting very soft. When he had the old 5.0 UVB Bulb, the Shell was tough but now its so flexible.

The tail or cloaca look swollen or discolored? I'm not sure if constipation is the main issue, but there are a lot of things going on and I would recommend a herp vet visit. Minnows are not likely to cause impaction and 8 days of not eating would not harm a healthy turtle. So there might be a pre-existing at issue here.

No, the Turtle is the same color that I got it on day one. It usually gets gassy and its rear end floats to the top of the water after 2-4 hours of eating, but that never happened after it ate the fish, and before we gave it the live fish it was eating pellets and tiny shrimp like a fat man eating mcdonalds. We already had a vet visit for fungus issue 5 days before this incident and the Turtle was perfectly healthy. Also the same day I put the fish, I forgot to mention that I removed the Mopani Wood, which it liked a lot. Do you think I should reput it in? If problems persist I will consider a vet. Also when my Turtle had fungus it lost 3 of its nails from the fungus eating a way at the toes. Will the nails ever grow back? Also other than this issue the Turtle has never shown any signs of RI which is good.

Why was the wood removed? Nails can grow back if the nail bed is still intact. What was the turtle given for the fungus? Some antibiotics suppress appetite.

The wood was removed because it grew fungus all over it, and the Turtle got fungus from it, so my mom used Tea Tree Oil on it, not knowing that it puts the Turtle to deep sleep, any how we brought the Turtle to the vet, and they said it has fungus, but your Turtle is gonna be in deep sleep for a while, so after 12 hours it awoke from its deep sleep and immediately started eating, the Vet did note that the Turtle is perfectly healthy and that the Fungus should be gone in a couple of days, and she said Removing the mopani wood may be a good idea. So we removed it. I just now added it again after removing the fungus and washing it, and now the Turtle seems to be happier. Hopefully it will start eating soon. She did not suggest antibiotics since we already used a fungus killer which is Tea Tree Oil but little did my Mom or I know that Tea Tree Oil puts reptiles to deep sleep. Any how she said next time it has fungus we can pick up some antibiotics. Thanks for your time and help Steve, I will let you know if the Turtle starts eating again, right now it still seems to refuse food but it is being more active.

steve wrote:Why was the wood removed? Nails can grow back if the nail bed is still intact. What was the turtle given for the fungus? Some antibiotics suppress appetite.

Sadly we had to Surrender the Turtle, because today it was guaranteed to die, I knew it from the bottom of my heart that it would die. So me not wanting the Turtle to die, we drove to a Wild Life Center that specializes in exotics, fortunately for us there was a guy there that Specialized in Snappers. The Turtle had a digestive problem from the day it was born so it did not digest the fish and the fish stayed inside of its stomach rotting and the Turtle got week from it's body trying to eliminate the fish from its body. If we had the money we would have not needed to surrender it, but unfortunately we used that money for last vet visit. Well now I am not going to get another Turtle, till I get a Job. My next set of Turtles will be something hardy and small? Can you guess what it is?

Sorry to hear about your turtle. As for what to get next... I don't know. Vet bills will always be up there with reptiles. I'd chill and wait to see if you have the room/space/time for it. The most basic turtle or tortoise will have demands and commitments.

steve wrote:Sorry to hear about your turtle. As for what to get next... I don't know. Vet bills will always be up there with reptiles. I'd chill and wait to see if you have the room/space/time for it. The most basic turtle or tortoise will have demands and commitments.

Sadly we called the place which we surrendered the Turtle too, and they did not even inject it with the vitamins and nutrients it was lacking, they only gave it antibiotics and some other treatment which made the situation even worse, so the Turtle passed away yesterday night. Honestly the next set of Turtles was going to be two Musk Turtles, but I don't know yet about that, because I am not to big on them. I honestly don't even know if I will get another Turtle, because after this one died it broke my heart and made me feel guilty for putting fish in a tank with a Turtle that had a digestive problem, but I thought the new 10.0 UVB would help. I am so

at my self. I feel hatred too myself. As for Vet Bills as long as I am working, they won't be a problem. Yes I am going to wait a long time... Also for room/space/time I got a lot of that, although when I am working I will probably have less time to spend on the Turtle, but I have younger brothers that can check on it. This Turtle that I lost I wanted to keep forever, and I knew I would been successful, I was getting a Job for God's sake, just only I wish it wasn't 2 weeks from now, but rather 2 weeks earlier. Anyways Steve thanks for your time again. And I am sure you will be able to help me in the Future if I do get a Turtle.

Urgent Care :: Urgent Care: I think my Turtle may be constipated.

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