Urgent Care :: Can RES combat Infection with home remedies?

[Amador_808]

I had my RES for approx. 10 years with no probelms then he became very ill. I took him to the vet and she gave me vitamin shots. A week later Dribble died. I spent 85 dollars on those shots and they didn't seem to work.

2 months later my other RES, Gummy, is showing similar symptoms. I've only had him for about 4 months now and he is a lot younger than Dribble so I wanted to know if it was possible for him to fight off the infection on his own.

I have raised the temp to 82 degrees as someone suggested in a different forum, and he seems to be doing a little better. He swims around more now although he still doesn't eat.

I don't mind taking him into the vet but he doesn't seem to be in as bad shape as my other RES, so if there are any home remedies out there that can help him I would appreciate it.

[jenaero]

I personally don't know of any home remedies. I'd take him to the vet. Seems better to catch it earlier, when it doesn't seem so bad. Good luck and let us know what you do.

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

I agree that you should take him to the vet, I don't think there is anything you can do for him other than what you have already done, see if you can get him to eat some tuna or cooked chicken.

I hope he gets better.

[marisa]

What specifically are his symptoms? If his symptoms continue/worsen a reptile vet would probably be best. I want to caution you, though, about automatically allowing a vet to give your turtle vitamin injections, particularly Vit A. If you read this, it will explain why: http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/hypervitaminosisA.htm I've read of people taking their sick turtles to the vet and being given Vit A shots only to find their turtles worse off than before. This doesn't mean that's what happened to your other turtle, BTW, just be aware of this.

You're keeping him warm and that's good. Try to get him to eat with "smelly" foods. You could also buy some liquid vitamins (the kind for birds is OK) and put some in the water when you feed him (in a separate container) or a little on his food. Good luck. Let us know what happens.

[Amador_808]

Thanks for all the advice.

His condition actually seems to be getting better, which is why I had to ask.

I was also curious because the other turltle I had, Dribble, was given to me when I was in High School and I didn't know the first thing about RES. I kept him in a 20 gallon tank even after he grew to 4-5 inches and unfortunatly cause I was never home he sometimes lived in horrible water conditions. The thing is, he he always made it through.

about 1 year ago I really got involved. I decided to get whatever I needed to make him a happy turtle. I got him a 40 gallon tank, heater, fluval 4 filter, rocks, even another turtle to keep him company then a few months later he got ill and died.

So I don't understand how he survived that whole time WITHOUT vitamins and other things he needed. Now the water in the tank is always crystal clear and I made sure I fed them RIGHT, but within a few months one turtle dies and the other is now sick... I don't get it.

I have made an apointment for Gummy, but I'm still concerned that even if he recovers from it, he will get sick again soon. The setup seems to be perfect and I have spent lots of money to make sure it was, what could I be doing wrong? Is there certain rocks you shouldn't put in the tank? The only other thing I can think of is that 2 years ago I moved to a suburb of Chicago where the water is actually from a well. Could that affect RES?

Both RES were in that water for about 1 year before either got sick.

[bradhart]

I'm wondering if the second turt you introduced was carrying a disease of some sort.

[marisa]

Yes, I was thinking the same thing (also the bacteria if living in less than sanitary conditions could have overwhelmed him and made him ill). Before introducing a new turt to an established habitat, it's advisable to quarantine it (90 days at least) to lessen the chances of it have anything your turtle could catch (and of course an initial health check would be good).

About the well water, you could always have it tested if you're concerned. Do you drink the water?

[Amador_808]

The vet did voice that as a possible cause for Dribble to have gotten sick. But I figured it couldn't have been since the newer turtle, Gummy, is now sick himself.

We don't drink the well water, but I thought since it is natural water it would actually be better for the RES, and like I said before Dribble was in that water for about a year before he died.

I didn't know you had to quarantine the turtles before putting them together so I guess that could've been a problem.

I thank everyone for all the input.