Urgent Care :: HELP! I think my turtle is sick and dying :'(

[frioverte]

my red eared slider that i've had for almost two months now is sick. he is a small quarter sized RES and recently I noticed his behavior had changed. he would eat his staple food which was pet store bought turtle pellets, but then I had bought shrimp treats, fed him meal worms and small feeder fish and he quit eating his staple food completely.

his behavior before all of this was fine. he was a lively swimmer, loves people and basking.

i had noticed him falling asleep on his turtle dock under his basking lamp a couple of days ago, but today his is very inactive and had been laying under the lamp all day and barely moving. he is also doing this head nod thing and will not open his eyes. he stays on the dock and when he went to swim, he kept his eyes shut and would slowly float around the tank.

please help. if anyone knows what i should do, please let me know. also, if he is sick (which he obviosly is). will he make it out of this? or is it hopeless? i dont have the money for a vet or i would take him. thanks guys.

[missibsu]

Try answering some of these questions, it will help us help you.
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142

Just so you are warned, a vet visit may be your only option.

[frioverte]

How big is your turtle? .........shell 2 inches long
How long have you had it? ...2 months

What is the water temperature? 79-84 degrees
Are you using a water heater? heat lamp
How much water is in there? 2 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? i dunno
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? reptomin turtle dock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets, meal worms, feeder fish, and shrimp treats
When was the last time your turtle ate? yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?yes, only a few hours of the day

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? desribed above

[Shavannah]

I'll let others who know more about the subject reply on this. Check to see if his eyes are puffy/swollen, discharge from the eyes, rubbing of the eyes. Have those answers at the ready for when you get replies. My thoughts are with you and the baby.

[frioverte]

thanks, his eyes may be puffy but no discharge. i dont know he wont open them. his front legs are sloppily laid out like he has no strength to push himself forward. but thank you again, i'm freaking out. also, that is him healthy in the pic.

[missibsu]

water temps seem a bit high for every day temps, but leaving it around 82F is ok if you think he's sick. The higher temp will help boost his immune system. A good water heater will not only raise the water temp, but maintain the temp. It will help keep the water temp steady and decrease the chance of respritory infection. RI can be caused by fluxuating temps.

You basking temp needs to be 10 degrees higher than your water temp. It's important to know what it is.

He also needs more water. He should have at least 20 gallons of water.

[Shavannah]

I know it's stressful, but try to stay calm. There will be others to help answer your questions soon. Turtles don't usually up and die. Once they get sick, it can take a while, with no treatment, so you've got some time to find out what to do. I've noticed not many are on here late at night, so you may not get answers until tomorrow. In the meantime, use the search bar and type in symptom keywords to find info already posted on similar behaviors. You might find some helpful info to get you through until people start replying.

[Shavannah]

By the way, he is adorable!

[frioverte]

hey, thanks guys.. should i add more water now? should i change the tank while he is sick? i just picked him up and he is very limp and still wont open his eyes. he has nothing i can see physically wrong with him.

also, i have the lamp off. i read somewhere that the lamp can cause damage if he is not moving and just staying on the basking dock.

[Shavannah]

I would wait until you get more replies. I'm not sure what to tell you to do that is best for him right now. When you picked him up, did he move at all? Check his skin for any cuts, etc. Check his shell for soft spots, be gentle, and check for cracks or anything else that doesn't look right. This probably doesn't have anything to do with his eyes, but it's best to have all your facts ready. Is his water clean? I would probably leave his basking light on, just make sure the temperature is a steady 88-90 on the basking dock/platform. Have you found any helpful info on other posts or the the main page yet?

[Shavannah]

Maybe add a little more water as long as he has something to get footing so he can get air easily. If he can't see, too much water may be overwhelming. Add conditioner, follow the directions. It could be the chlorine in the water irritating his eyes, so that will remove it and the chloramine, check the label to make sure it removes both.

[Shavannah]

Missibsu is right about the water temp being warmer if he's sick. So once you get more water added, set the heater for 80. Don't forget to let the heater sit in the water for 10-15 minutes before turning it back on. You also need to let it sit for that amount of time after unplugging it before you remove it from the water, so it doesn't crack the glass. This is of course if you have a glass heater. If it's plastic, I'm not sure, but probably to be safe follow the same directions.

[frioverte]

thanks again. i am just going to wait it out until 2moro before i do anything...

[frioverte]

he died. i woke up this morning and he was still in the position he was last night, on the turtle dock. i knew right away.. i picked him up and he is out of his shell with his eyes closed, lifeless. i dont even feel like going to work I am so sad. RIP Frio, he will be missed.

[Shavannah]

I'm so sorry frioverte.
He could have had a pre-existing condition from wherever you got him, and it didn't show any signs until now. Do a lot of reading on here, get yourself educated and equipped and maybe try again? They are wonderful animals and worth the effort. Since there are so many out there in pet stores and such, it's nice that some of us take on the responsibility and committment to give them a healthy and thriving life they may not otherwise get. My thoughts are with you. Take care and come back soon.