Urgent Care :: recovery from RI?

[stormtrooper]

Hi everyone,

Two days ago, my turtle Gamera (about 1.5inch) displayed symptoms of RI. He was sneezing, opening his mouth real wide, making noises at times, had bubbles coming out from his nose. I was worried sick, and planned to take him to the vet asap the following day. In the meantime, I read the forum and bumped up the water temperature to 82 (from 78-79), as well as the dock (to 90). I also covered the tank during the night to keep the air temperature warm.
The next day, Gamera was back to normal, eating well, being active, but I took him to the vet anyway as I had read that turtles are good at hiding their sickness. However, the vet didnt find anything wrong with him. It must also be noted that as we live in Australia - turtles are not common pets, well, at least not as much as in countries such as the US or Japan. So, I'm not sure how much experience the vet we took him to has with turtles. He made it clear that he doesnt look at turtles often.
So, the situation is that right now as I am typing this, Gamera is as normal as he used to be before I noticed the signs of RI a few days ago. I am positive it was RI as all the symptoms described above were present. At the same time, I noticed a white chalky colour above his eyelids. I was told to put fish antibiotic drops (Metafix) in the water, and it's now disappeared. Not sure if that was related to the RI.
Can someone please advise as to what else I can do to ensure he isnt still sick with RI. Is it possible that he completely recovered so quickly? Thank you all for your help.

[sarah]

Maybe it'd just be best to watch very closely for any more signs.

[steve]

I'd monitor any changes in appetite and look out for lethargy and other symptoms. Was there something done different when he showed these symptoms (a certain type of food, excessive basking)?

Keep the temps where they are, make sure he gets plenty of UVB and stay away from live prey for now. You might want to try to add a calcium/vit d3 supplement, though that's not specifically for RI but good for him overall. Also, keep the water as clean as possible and clean the filters often.

You can also try another vet... which would be a good idea since your vet was honest about his lack of RES knowledge.

[stormtrooper]

Thank you both Sarah and Steve.

Gamera is eating very well, in fact he's searching for food at the bottom of the tank as we speak. He also is swimming straight and most importantly, isnt sneezing, breathing via the mouth or blowing bubbles out of his nose.

My only worry is that I just find it hard to believe he recovered so quickly. From all I've been reading about RI, I didnt think it would be so easy for him to recover from so quickly. But I'll take the luck. It really is the worse feeling when you see your turtle sick. All the symptoms were there. I've had him for nearly 2 months now, and would have been devastasted had anything happened to him. He really did look so sick two days ago. I'm just glad he seems to be ok.

I will keep a close watch. Steve I was going to ask about the water and basking temperature. Since I've bumped them both up, when would you advise for me to lower them back to normal temps?

Thanks again for your help.

[stormtrooper]

Sorry Steve, I forgot to respond to your question. He wasnt fed anything different. I am atually pretty sure it was due to the current cold temperature right now. It's been freezing at nights and I failed to cover the tank with the lids. I was under the assumption that he'd be okay as he sleeps underwater anyway. But I guess it makes a difference. That's the only explanation I have for it. Thanks again.

[marisa]

stormtrooper, I think you're right---an RI takes a while to develop and won't go away overnight. I'd keep the temps a bit higher like you are for about a week and then lower them gradually. Don't forget to cover the tank, and if it's that cold, I'd get a submersible water heater to keep the water temp constant. And, of course, be watchful for any recurring symptoms.

I'd also increase the Vit A in his diet through foods like carrots, pumpkin, squash, dandelions, red peppers, things of that nature.

[stormtrooper]

Thank you Marisa, you and Steve have helped me a lot since I've had Gamera. It certainly adds security knowing I'm doing the best I can for the little fella with such experienced advice.
Okay, I will keep the current temperature settings until at least the weekend and see how he goes. All signs are positive. He is eating extremely well. When you say submersible heater, you mean a normal one, right.. which I already have. It's set at 82 at the moment.
Can I please ask you whether there is such a thing as brown algae? I see the green kind, but on his turtle dock, the section which is underwater (and where he sleeps at night) is brown in colour. I will clean it tonight, but just wanted to make sure it's not harmful.
Thank you again.

[sarah]

Yeah, that's normal. My dock gets the same and I have to clean it off... It's not very pretty but I'm doubting it's harmful either.

[marisa]

Yes there is brown algae (there a quite a few kinds of algae), and it's often composed of diatoms, a type of unicellular algae. It seems to occur more often in places where lighting isn't that bright. It shouldn't hurt your turtle.