Urgent Care :: Not using his back legs

[RogerDenny]

Glad I found this site ! Great info - I will be getting rid of the gravel that one of my two turtles seems to eat all the time - I will get bigger rocks and perhaps some Cuttlebone in case he is craving calcium. My two turtles are a little more than a year old in a 10 gal tank. In the past two days, I have noticed that the one that eats all the rocks has essentially stopped using his hind legs. He keeps them tucked in - he will occasionally use them to push off here and there, but this is definitely something new. Now that I have read about the darn gravel, I'm thinking perhaps he is impacted to some degree. Besides getting rid of the gravel immediately - are there any other suggestions that might address Denny's lack of hind leg usage? Thanks

[sonyj]

I've heard of turtles tucking in their hind legs when another turtle has nipped or bit them. They tuck them in to protect them. You may want to check the legs for any signs of wounds. Having more than one turtle together can lead to aggression especially if they are in too small of a tank together. Keep an eye out for this. If you see any aggression they should be separated into their own habitats.

Removing the gravel ASAP is a really smart thing to do. Also, you should keep a look out for signs of gravel being pooped out after it's all been cleared from the tank. If you see any remove it immediately or it may be ingested again. If you can't tell whether they are pooping or not, it may be a good idea to take them to a herp vet for an x-ray.

On another note, you mentioned you have 2 one year old turtles in a ten gallon tank. A ten gallon tank is barely large enough for 1 newly hatched turtle let alone 2 older turtles. The minimum tank size is ten gallons per inch of turtle (shell length from tip to tip not including curve), and since you have two turtles you will double this. How big are your turtles? You should look into upgrading soon.

[marisa]

Have you noticed if there are any bites, scrapes, etc. on the legs that might indicate there's been some bullying or aggression? Your turtle's tank sounds too small for them--inadequate space can contribute to bullying and will at the very least stress the less dominant turtle.