Urgent Care :: I am VERY worried about my baby Turtles PLEASE HELP!

[Jymmsc]

Alright I have two turtles that are about 1 1/2 months old. We bought them when we were in FLorida. THey are both the same age. Daytona have been the Vet once already and Ormond seems to be doing fine. Ormond is almost 2in and Dayton is about 1 1/4-1/2. I am very worried about her. She has a wound on her right ear area (which is why we went to the doctor) and have some triple antibodic ontiment for it. It seems to be improving but that was about a 2 weeks ago and it is still very much there. Daytona eats but does not eat as much as Ormond. In fact I worried Ormond is eatting too much he seems to be shedding quiet a bit (although it has died down) and seem to be "fat" although it may just be the Daytona is soo small. It is light and day between the two. Daytona has been strethching her neck out quiet a bit lately and breathing with her mouth open. It scares me because sometimes she makes a high pitched cherping noise. Her shell is also turning brown near the top. She seems to be getting very thin. Her eyes are not as clear as Ormonds. Also, Ormonds eyes are a very clear blue and Daytona's are green but slightly cloudy. Okay, to their set up. They are in a ten gallon tank with a nice basking area. We have a fliter and UVB and UBA lights. During the night their tank gets to around 70 and during the day around 80. The water is around 75. We use Stress Zyme on the water (which is tap) to speeed up development of the biological filter and help clean a dirty aquarium, we also use turtle clean. I give Daytona Nature Zone's Turtle vita vega-min daily which has calcium, Vit A, and a few others not listed ( I put this directly into her mouth), we also but Turtle Vita shell on their shells daily (a shell and skin conditioner) We feed them spinach leaf a least once a week, Tetrafaunda's ReptoMin Baby (we break the tablets in half) about 4-8 full tablets, and occasionaly we give them raw shrimp. I know we need to give them a better diet but with Daytona not eatting I felt the tablets were the best source of vitamins for her. Some one PLEASE help me. We are first time turtle owners and we love our babies dearly. I do not want Daytona to be another statistic. Please help.

[sonyj]

Okay, I can't answer as to why she's doing this, but I can point out a few things that need improving. When a turtles habitat is not up to par it can affect their health. It sounds like Daytona is sensitive to this fact.

1) A 10 gallon tank is too small for one hatchling let alone two. Minimum recommended size is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. And remember that their home needs to grow as they grow.

2)Knowing exact temps and keeping correct temps in their environment is vital to their health. Water temp should be a constant 78 degree for hatchlings with a basking area temp of 88-90. (lights should be on a day/night cycle so basking temp will only remain this during day)

3)Never feed spinach. It contains oxalic acid that blocks/prevents them from absorbing the calcium in their diet. This will lead to Metabolic Bone Disease.

4)Using Vita shell can damage their shells greatly. It blocks the shell from breathing and can cause major shell damage when used over a period of time.

5)I've heard that feeding some types of shellfish can cause harm to your turtles. Some shellfish carry a bacteria that's been linked to shell rot. I'm not sure about shrimp, but feeding it raw is not a good idea and freeze-dried shrimp should only be used as treats around once a month due to the high protein content.


This probably isn't complete and others will be along to help as well. But please take time to read through the main site and the forum as much as you can. If you have any more questions after reading just ask.

[sarah]

I know from reading other posts on here that breathing with her mouth open is a bad sign.
Also, try seperating the turtles when they eat. If they'll only eat in the tank feed them one at a time. That way you'll have a better idea of how much Daytona is eatting.
When was Daytona taken to the vet last? Because it sounds like another trip may be in order.
My turtles ate pellets only for quite awhile after I got them, and although a better diet is recommended, this probably isn't where the illness is coming from.

The only thing I can think of is open mouthed brething is a sign of RI...which I don't know that your turtle has....
Be patient and the other owners will come along...they know much more then me :p

[Jymmsc]

Thank you for your response! I do not feed raw shrimp. I miss spoke earlier it is cooked I ment it doesn't have anything else on it. Thank you for the heads up on the Spinach! I didn't know about the Vitashell it was recomended by our petstore. Should that be used once a week or not at all? We were also informed (from the same petstore) that 10 gallons would be fine for about 5 years since they are hatchlings. I will warm up the water a few degrees. The vet told us that the temp. was good when we last saw him. However, I am a little bit weary about seeing our vet because he seemed so shocked when he saw how long Daytona was.

[Jymmsc]

Thank you for your post Sarah. I too have been thinking it was RI however, like mentioned in my last post I am leary of our Vet. He seemed to think Daytona was too small for a complete check up last time. He didn't measure her or weigh her or take any vitals. I don't know if this is normal practice or not but it seems like it would be for me.

[sarah]

Is he a turtle specialist??
Our vets down here don't know anything either.
We have a turtle doctor a few hours away though...
If you're in the same situation it may be worth the drive.

[sonyj]

I personally wouldn't recommend using vita shell at all after seeing some pics of what it has done to shells.

And welcome to the 'pet stores never give correct info' club. We've all been there on this one. 9 out of 10 times pet stores will give false info. I've had mine for about 10+ months and have upgraded from a ten gallon (lasted 3 months for one turtle) to a 30 gallon and currently in the process of upgrading again. Turtles will get to be anywhere from 7-9 inches for an adult male to 10-12 inches for an adult female. So just for one you are looking at a 120 gallon enclosure (aquarium/pond/stock tank) when they reach maturity. This doubles for each turtle you have and then there's the possibility that they simple will not be compatible together as adults and must be separated to their own space. It's a lot to absorb but by researching you are at the start of giving them a healthy long life.

A temperature of 75 is fine for older turtles, but hatchlings are very susceptible to illness (cold/drafts etc) that they need their temp a little higher.

[sonyj]

Check the sticky at the top of this section (urgent care) to find out how to locate a herp vet in your area. It's important to find a herp vet as they are somewhat more knowledgable regarding RES than a regular vet.

[Jymmsc]

The good news is the Daytona is still eating. She eats about 3 full pelets. She never ate the spinach (thank goodness) that was really only Ormond. We did leave a few weekends ago and left a leaf in there and when we came home it was gone so she may have ate some then. (P.S. we are unaware the sex of the two turtles. They are still a little too small to tell.)

[Jymmsc]

I was reading other posts and I noticed some mentioned a yellow/white wart that they have found on their turtles. That is a very good discription of what is on Daytona. I know that I am writing quiet a bit but I am so worried about her.

[Jymmsc]

I am bringing Daytona into a different vet on Thursday. She is still eating and seemed to be a little more energetic today. She was cherping more than usual this evening. She's been basking all day so I made her swim for a bit but she'd always return to the basking rock. I am very open to suggestions.

[steve]

Are you sure she is eating and the pellets and they are not just dissolving in the water? Where is this "wart" growing? (It could be an abscess.)

What are the basking and water temperatures? I don't think you've told us.

[marisa]

Jymmsc, is this yellow/white wart on the side of the head near the red stripe?If so, go to http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medeyes.htm and scroll down until you come to "Overview of Ear Abscesses." Look at the pictures--is this anything like what your turtle has (sometimes there's more of a head to the bump)? If it's on another part of the body, it still could be an abscess. If it is an abscess, it needs to be lanced and drained to take the pus out. A herp vet is also likely to prescribe antibiotics to help clear up any infection.

What temp is 70F at night and 80F during the day? The basking area temp? If so, you should raise it to the high 80's to 90F. Since they're hatchlings, a water temp of 78-80F, would be better than a water temp of 75F. Since Daytona is eating, I'd feed her in a separate container of water (with the temp a degree or two higher than the tank water temp) and get some liquid vitamins to put in the water (bird vitamins or even vitamins for babies like Poly-vi-Sol would be OK) so she gets more nourishment when she eats.

[Jymmsc]

Daytona has an ear abscess. I brough her into the vet yesterday. She is too small for her to drain the puss so we are just trying to remove the "scab" when it apears and placing triple antibodic oientment on the area. 70F and 80F is regarding the over all tank temp. The basking area is probably near 90. The water temp is closer to 78. I am already giving Daytona Nature Zone Turtle vita vega-min directly into her mouth. She also does not have RI she just breathes with her mouth. So, at the moment they seem to be doing well still. We have to leave them alone over the weekend so I am slightly worried about them but hopefully I will come back to two healthy happy babies!

[Jymmsc]

Are you sure she is eating and the pellets and they are not just dissolving in the water? Where is this "wart" growing? (It could be an abscess.)

What are the basking and water temperatures? I don't think you've told us.

Daytona is eatting. We watch her. She loves her pelets. She wont eat anything else. Water is 78 and basking is around 90