Urgent Care :: HELP!!!! PLEASE!!!!!

[ashleyrt]

My 4 year old red eared slider recently has been unable to climb on to things; she keeps flipping over onto her back. Today when I came home from work, she seems to have no reaction to human touch, she does not appear to be able to put her head in her shell, it's like she is straining her neck and cant lift it except for on rare occasion in which she will lift it up and open her mouth and her throat will swell. Its like she has no energy or muscle! I dont know what to do - the local animal hospital has no herp vets and the closest one is closed until monday! Please if anyone has any advice for home treatment in the meantime or what may be causing this i would be so very very grateful!

[cam722]

Please answer the questions at the top of this topic so that we can get some info and hopefully offer some advice.

Such things as.. size of enclosure, water/basking temps, if she's eating etc. Have there been any other changes in her behavior?

[ashleyrt]

well I just moved and her tank is set up but the bulb was damaged in the moving process and unfortunately i didnt have a spare; I just went and picked up a new one at the store and am about to set it up. Usually her water is kept at 80 degrees and I usually use tap water, treated with probiotic waste degrader. I feed her zoo med floating pellets. There is another turtle in the tank (male), whom I aquired 5 months ago and who was agressive with her at first (clawed at ther face) but has since ceased aggressive behaviors. She has not been eating, and I'm not sure why - sometimes in the winter she will eat less but this doesnt seem like her at all.

[ashleyrt]

anybody there?

[missibsu]

This isn't a chat room, and people come and go, don't expect an immediate response.

Was the turtle that you aquired 5 months ago introduced directly to the tank? New turts should be quarantined for 3 months before being introduced to an established tank. If the new turtle was infected you just gave it to what may have been an otherwise healthy turt. Even if the new turtle isn't exhibiting signs of sickness, it doesn't mean that it isn't.

If the two turts are still together I would recommend seperating them. Since we don't know what is wrong, it would be best to do what you can to protect the one who seems healthy.

Do you have a basking area? What is the temp of the basking area? Do you have UVA(heat light) as well as a UVB light(full spectrum)? What size tank do you have for both turtles? There are many questions that you still haven't answered that will help us see the whole picture. The more information you give us, the more we can help.

[tissigirl]

If all you are feeding the turtle is pellets he is not getting the right nutrients either. They need to be fed a good variety of fresh veggies to be at their full health. That's just one observation that could be part of the problem. As others suggested, please tell us as much info as you can that was requested about your setup and such.

I would also suggest to take your turtle to a herp vet if you are really concerned about it.

[ashleyrt]

thanks for the info, sorry i just wasnt really sure how this works. I actually took my turtle to the emergency vet (not a herp vet but he referred me to a very good one for monday if she holds on til then and he said to call in the morning). More info: my tank holds 40 gallons and I have two filters for it. I have a UVA/UVB light for her and a basking area beneath the lamp (it's a floating station. I had rocks but since I moved I have discarded them and now there are currently no rocks in the tank. She seems to have no energy or response at all. The doc said heating her up a bit or giving her a warm water bath might do the trick and he gave her an antibiotic as well as some saline solution. Fingers crossed...

[missibsu]

Good Luck! and keep us posted.

[ashleyrt]

well thank you all for your input; unfortunately Ralphy (my RES) passed away. It's difficult to see your pet suffer and die, but there was not much else that could be done. On the bright side, I got the name of a good herpetologist close by and he will examine Ralphy to see if he can determine cause of death and give me advice as to how i can avoid this in the future, as well as give my other RES (Ludwig) an exam. RIP Ralphy, see ya buddy :*(

[Andrew7769]

im very sorry

[sonyj]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Keep us informed on how Ludwig is doing.

[marisa]

I'm sorry to hear you lost your turtle. By chance was there any swelling of the extremities?

[missibsu]

If they were sharing a habitat be sure to do a complete cleaning. Sorry about your loss!