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Hello, this is my first time taking care of turtle. i have one right now, male. he is 6 month already, and i just bought him 3 weeks ago. he is active, eats alot, and has a good sensitivity. so, here's the confusion. since the first time i bought him he had this weird kind of breathing, and also his skin was doing the shedding. he always opens his mouth and let out sounds. i dont know if its coughing or sneezing, but the sound is kinda unusual for me, its like a hiccup sound, his feet is stretched, and he has that big chin enlarged like a frog while opening his mouth for air. i really want to record the sound if i could. i tried to find some information and even went to vet before. the internet said that he got a respiratory infection, so i went to vet to make sure what's going on. and apparently, the vet said he was just stress because he's new to the environment and he is healthy since he's so active on land. but, i think the vet is wrong. i think he's getting worse. when he swam, his body was slightly tilted to the left. not so much, but i can see his body's unbalance. btw, his toe seems like swelling.. and i dont know what causes that.. because yesterday was just fine until today.
So.. anybody could help me? it means alot, i dont want to lose him
thank you.

He looks OK from the picture. Could the swelling be an infection? As for the unbalance, is he listing when he's in the water? How is his coordination?

What could possibly cause the infection? Yes, he is listing in the water. Still good coordination. Is the sound that he made is normal?
New updates: i could see mucus come out from his mouth, and he seems to be weaker than he's usual..

Is the listing a new symptom? Sounds, like a croaking or clicking is sometimes normal. It's not a confirmed symptom of anything I know of. What's the water and basking temperature? Does the mucus appear when he goes into the water after basking long periods?

Yeah, the listing happened recently. Ohh i see. Its a room temp i guess, im not using heater. No, i saw the mucus when he's in dry condition. About 15 minutea later after i took that picture, i lifted him up to my hand and saw the mucus.. Is the mucus suppose to be normal?

Slight listing while just floating might be normal, it's listing when swimming that you should be concerned about. It would be a very good idea to make sure he has the right temps, as that is a major factor in illnesses with hatchlings. As for the mucus, was it dry? Was from the mouth or nostrils? I usually don't see it unless they've been basking for a long while, and even then it's not a regular occurrence.

Ohh.. I see. The mucus is wet and seems sticky, comes out from the mouth. Why do they have the mucus coming out from mouth when basking?

I would bump up the temperatures. The mucus might just be from eating but it shouldn't be much. That is a bit of concern.

Oh.. Okay then.. Thank you so much for the information. Btw, what are the exact symptoms that he has the respiratory infection? In case one day he has another unknown behavior. Hehe

Omg, he just vomit! He let out yesterday's food and while vomiting, he also let out some mucus but he ate it back! Omg.. I just took him out from the water, and he looks tired.. Also, he let out a bubble from his nose this morning..

Sorry to hear that, did you follow up with the vet?

No.. I think he doesnt know much about turtles, im still searching for another vet.

I think If he's opening his mouth and making sounds, he's got a respiratory infection. I hope you can cure your turtle, I lost two to this infection.

Normally if it has respiratory infections, it would be opening its mouth constantly and 'wheezing'

My two turtles survived a week before finally dying. Grylls died in my hand