Urgent Care :: cant submerge

[bgzbgz]

How big is your turtle? <2 inches
How long have you had it? 1 month
What is the water temperature? 86
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 5 gal.
Are you using a water conditioner? yes biological
Are you using any filtration? yes
What is the basking temperature? 95
Is there a basking light? yes florecent reptiglo + incandecsant 150W for day, nightglo 75W
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? turtle dock
Is there a UVB light? yes florecent reptiglo

What have you been trying to feed it? reptomin, guppies, lettuce, turkey breast, apples
When was the last time your turtle ate? eats well

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gal. (getting bigger tank)
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? yes, turtle cannot submerge under water. runs and swims around in circles.


One month ago I received 2 RES turtles as a gift. When I had just got the turtles they were both the same size, as of now one turtle has almost doubled in size and the other one grew very little if at all. The smaller turtle cant submerge itself under water no matter how hard it trys. Every time it tries to submerge itself it cant reach the bottom, it just floats back to the surface like a piece of cork. The turtle seems to be energetic in the water but after it gives up on trying to submerge itself it just sits on its turtle dock basking for long periods of time. I have not noticed any wheezing, mouth breathing, mucus, or loss of appetite, also it doesnt swim lop-sided it just floats evenly on top of the water swimming in circles in either direction. As far as i can tell this is its only problem, how can I make the poor guy sink? Any advice would be greatly apreciated.

[missibsu]

Not being able to submerge can be a sign of fluid in the lungs. In my opinion, I would find a herp vet and have your little one checked out. If that is what is causing the problems, it can easily cause additional problems and even death.

Water temp at 86 is too high, even for a sick turtle. For hatchlings, 78 is good, and up to 80, no higher than 82 when sick. For older turts you can lower the temps to 75-78.

[steve]

How much does weigh? I would first keep them separate and give the little guy more room.

[bgzbgz]

Thank you, I have lowered the water temp to 82.

The turtle feels pretty light in my hand. I asked my friend to borrow his digital scale so I can find out exactly how much it weighs.

[bgzbgz]

Ok, the larger turtle weighs 35g, the small one weighs onlt 12g. They were the same size when I got them.

[steve]

For now, I would keep them separate. That would help make sure he won't get accidentally hurt/bullied and he will get his food portion.

Do you have a strong filter? Could that be impeding his swimming abilities?

[bgzbgz]

The filer is pretty weak, and its on the right side of the tank. It really doesnt interfere with the turtles at all. Also it doesnt like to leave its tank, it seems to like it in there alot, if i try to put it in anywhere else it gets frantic and doesnt eat.

I would appreciate any more suggstions anyone might have.

[bgzbgz]

By the way the bigger ones name is Bowser and the smaller ones Koopa.
Koopa has difficulty eating ceratin foods because he cant go under water.
Even food that floats he trys to pull under the water, he drops it to the bottom then trys to swim after it but cant submerge.
However I do always put enough food for both of them to be full to capacity.

[grey goose]

When he swims around in circles, does he "list" or float unevenly? If the poor guy isn't showing any other signs of RI, it could be something in the G.I. tract...at any rate he needs a herp vet to take a look at him.

[marisa]

Twelve grams is awfully light...when you pick him up does he feel hollow or is there a little bit of "heft" to him? I once had a turtle that felt hollow when I picked up, and he felt like nothing when I picked him up, and he could not stay submerged either (it was like he was filled with air). I believe he had a chronic respiratory infection based on some other behaviors he exhibited. Taking him to a herp vet would be good--you might also have him checked out for parasites.