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I have had the 3 baby RES for about 2 months now. I have never owned a turtle before (dogs, fish, rabbits, chickens and even a turkey) but never a turtle. About 2 weeks ago Shecup (the girl) began not using her back right leg. After searching the web (which I now realize I should have done first) I found out that the tank wasnt properly setup with heaters, lights and thermostat etc.. After adding the lights to heat the basking area she began moving around more and acting more like herself. However, now Im noticing that when she comes up for air she tends to hold her head back to far and looks as if she starts to panic and next thing we know she is doing summer-salts in the water. I removed her from the tank have had her in shallow water for a day and a half now. Will she eventually get her equilibrium back or do I need to get her to a vet quick? I dont want her to drowned and I am afraid she will. Please all suggestion are welcome...

Is she always swimming irregularly in the same direction? If she is swimming to one particular side (listing) then it's likely she has a respiratory infection - this in an indication of fluid in the lungs.

If she is swimming erratically (upside down, looping), its possible she has a different type of disorder. My male RES exhibited this a month or so after I received him. I forgot how long it took him to recover, but it was nearly a year. It wasn't easy, but he made it. Another member had a similar problem last year (there was a video clip that might still be online) but he didn't do anything for it and it eventually drowned. If you search for the topic, you'll find more about what I had to do.

Thank you sooo much Steve! I will take your advise and search around for looping because that is exactly what she is doing. my friend had a baby RES that swam in one direction but it passed away a few days later.