Urgent Care :: sick little one

[mickieblain]

I have a little RES (about 2 inches) who we have had for about a week. Until yesterday it was very active. I have a 5 gallon tank right now, with a basking area, an aquatic plant and about 6 or 7 inches of water in it. We have been meticulous about keeping it clean. It is hard to tell how much he has eaten, but I do know that he ate at least 3 tiny feeder guppies this week and has had the turtle food broken into very small bits too.
Today he is not very active at all. I found him floating upside down a while ago, hauled him out and he was still responsive. I put him ont he basking rock. Since then I have moved him into a glass pyrex baking thing with about an inch of water and a basking area. He does open his eyes and he will move off the rock and into the water.
Yesterday he did get some sun. Could he have overheated? The water was warmish but didn't feel problematic. We changed the water after he was in for a bit. Any thoughts?

[cprcheetah]

What is his set up like? Does he have lights? A Heater? Floating upside down is NOT a good thing. It can indicate a respiratory infection. Which can be deadly if not treated with antibiotics. I would get your guy to a Herp vet ASAP.

[Ferd]

i agree with cprcheetah. it could also be shock from the constant change of water. also, if it isnt drying off completly that might be a factor

[mickieblain]

He has a light but not a heater. I had to order it as I live in a weird place. His aquarium is fairly protected, not in a drafty area, he has lots of place to swim and bask. We are probably a day away from a Herp vet but I see if someone at the MNR has any experience tomorrow. He isn't showing any of the other signs of RI like mucous or breathing with his mouth open or bubbles.
Does it make sense that I have lowered the water levels for tonight so he doesn't drown? He has enough to be wet but not to do much swimming (he isn't anyway). He still has a hiding place and a place to be out of the water.

[steve]

Can you answer some of the questions here?
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142

If he was floating upside down, he may have had a drowning experience.. http://www.turtlecare.net/drown.htm

[mickieblain]

He is able to dry off completely on the rock, under his light. He also basks in the sun a bit. Of course, the first few days in our house he tended not to spend as much time out of the water but the last two or three days he has been in and out. I would say that it is just since about 10:00 this morning that he has begun to slow down and then later this afternoon the lethargy set in along with the flipping over in the water.

[Ferd]

he still needs to be able to completely submerge or he could deveop shell rot

[mickieblain]

Thanks for that Ferd, I will add some water.

[mickieblain]

How big is your turtle? About two inches
How long have you had it?one week

What is the water temperature?around 75
Are you using a water heater?waiting on one
How much water is in there?He had about 6-7 inches in a 5 gallon tank
Are you using a water conditioner?no
Are you using any filtration?waiting on this too

What is the basking temperature?not sure but the rock is warm to touch
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of?very, very smooth slate rock-no bumps or jags
Is there a UVB light?no

What have you been trying to feed it?reptomin sticks (broken up), very tiny feeder guppies, lettuce, was seen eating a small spider and a small fly
When was the last time your turtle ate?hard to tell as he doesn't seem to like the reptomin much

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 5 gallon tank with rock but the rock is suspended (he can safely swim udner and around it)
Is the tank near a window?no-but we did have him outside in his tank yesterday
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes, a fair amount. I have him in this room so I can always supervise the kids and keep them from taking him out of the tank or bugging him

Have you read the Basic Care section?yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
Not really, but when I was outside with him he was basking on my arm. He yawned twice but then I didn't see him do it again. He was quite active even after that and seemed fine last night.

[Ferd]

i reccomend that u dont add conditioneruntill your filter comes. otherwise it will lwave a soapy scum on the top of the water

[steve]

How long was he outside, did he have shade and what was the temperature? It's hard to say what could be affecting the little guy... did he appear lethargic after you found him unpside down or was he exhibiting symptoms before it happened?

[mickieblain]

He was outside quite a while, some of it with shade. I didn't read the water but I am guessing it ended up being about 82F. I cooled it only a couple of degrees when I brought him in. He seemed okay last night. Today he was outside a bit but always in the shade or diffused light and not all that long. His water was essentially the same temp when I brought him in. I do think he might have gotten too much yesterday as we miscalculated the shade cover where he was. If he overheated do you have any suggestions? I just checked on him now when I added a bit of water as per Ferd's suggestion. He is not very peppy although he did respond a bit when I moved him out of the way so I didn't cause him waves. I got a "look" a few times and he moved his legs. I did increase the temp a bit with the water, just a couple of degrees. His appears to be sleeping now although he just moved his front leg. He has generally been asleep at this time of night so it is hard to judge. I hope he is still around tomorrow morning.

[steve]

What did you keep him in when was he outside? If he was in a glass/plastic tank, he may be been exposed to extreme temperatures.

[mickieblain]

He was in his regular aquarium.

[mickieblain]

He is still alive this morning and had moved up on to the basking area and then back into the water and out again at some point. Not peppy but moving and his eyes are open more anyway. I was not expecting him to be alive this morning so this was good news. It seems to be going in the right direction anyway. I left him in the smaller container with just enough water to cover him and a basking area and light because I am worried about him drowning. He does appear to have the good sense to stick his head out to breathe once in a while. I will test him out when I get home from work in his regular tank so I can be there should he need to get hauled out again. I offered him food but did not see him indulge. My daughter's comment was, "Mom, you know she is disgusted by that stuff so why do you keep offering it to her?". She is eight and pretty worried about "Shelley".