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How big is your turtle? 1-1.5 inches, one is smaller than the other
How long have you had it? Since 9:30 AM

What is the water temperature? Not sure
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? Not very much, enough to swim a bit, they are in a temp. tank.
Are you using a water conditioner? no but the water is distilled
Are you using any filtration? no

What is the basking temperature? Not sure
Is there a basking light? Yes, recommended and bought from Pet Smart
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Not sure
Is there a UVB light? Not sure

What have you been trying to feed it? ReptoTreat
When was the last time your turtle ate? A long time

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? Small
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? No, but I got a book at the store
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Not eating


First let me state that these are not my turtles. I don't believed they were treated properly because they were pets of small children. My boss asked me to care for them and "save their lives" during the Christmas break beings I'd be at the office and they were not doing well. He said they were in a large tank before with a basking area with light. He said they haven't eaten in a month. I tried several times today to try to get them to eat, no luck. They seem very lethargic as well.

After they get out of the water and dry a bit a white covering on the top of their shell begins to appear.

Picture here:


Does this look like shell rot? The little turtles are adorable and I really want them to be ok, but I'm beginning to get really worried about their well-being.

I'll be caring for them for at least a week and once I get them home I'm going to remove the soil from the tank and fill mostly with water and some rocks to bask on, that way they have more swimming room.

Well, I think you have more pressing issues beyond shell rot. When babies get a chill, they will shut down and stop eating and become lethargic. You have to get and make sure he is warm. Get a thermometer, even one of those stick-on types will do for now, and a water heater rated for that size tank. Speaking of that tank, how large is it and what is that brown stuff he is on? Water quality is also very important for babies so you must get a filter. After that, if he begins to respond and starts eating, he's going to need a basking ramp and a UVB and a light for heat.
Try to tempt him with smelly food...shrimp, cat food etc. hold it right up to his nose. If he does not respond soon (2-3 days) you will have to take him to the Vet. As a side note, I'm amazed that your boss would dump the poor things on you and tell you to "save their lives". When you go to the vet, tell them to send HIM/HER the bill!!

I sent him an email about it a bit ago. The brown stuff is soil that the pet store put in the tank, I'm removing it when I get home though and just using stones and water. I can not afford anything else for them, I already spent $44 and they're not even mine. I just don't want them. The boss's wife said I could keep them but I really can not afford to do so, and I'm hoping I'm reimbursed for what I bought so far. He said they were in a large tank before with light but I have no idea if it was heated. I just don't want them to die on me. I'll see what kind of thermometer I have at home and see if I can some how keep the water warm enough for them. Right now the water seems pretty warm, though with just the light I have. My friend at the office described it as "piss-warm" though I haven't touched it. I've been trying to get them to eat all day with no luck. I put it in the water with them, right up to their face, no reaction.

One died.

I'm trying my best to keep the other alive.

The other one is probably very stressed out. You need to put some more water in there and use a water heater. Boost the temperature up to 78 degrees, and try as hard as you can to get him/her to eat something. As always the best remedy for every problem is a visit to the vet ,but that can be expensive. Maybe you could ask your boss to have the "large tank" to keep the turtles in.

you should tell your boss to give you the tank that they were in, its only fair. If you cant afford him like you said, you should try to find someone to take him, but dont release it in the wild, it definetely will die. $44 is nothing, you are going to need much more money unfortunetly... you are eventually gonna need a big tank, he needs almost a 20 gallon now, the rule is 10 gallons per inch, vet bills... you said you need a uva and uvb light? A filter, a heater, everything just adds up! I've had my turt for like 4 months, and I've spend over $500.00 already. Good luck to you, and dont feel like that baby died and it was your fault, because it wasnt. The most important thing you can do is get that tank to 78 degrees. It helps their immune system.. also ask your boss if he will pay the vet bill ...

Hoooneylynn wrote:you should tell your boss to give you the tank that they were in, its only fair. If you cant afford him like you said, you should try to find someone to take him, but dont release it in the wild, it definetely will die. $44 is nothing, you are going to need much more money unfortunetly... you are eventually gonna need a big tank, he needs almost a 20 gallon now, the rule is 10 gallons per inch, vet bills... you said you need a uva and uvb light? A filter, a heater, everything just adds up! I've had my turt for like 4 months, and I've spend over $500.00 already. Good luck to you, and dont feel like that baby died and it was your fault, because it wasnt. The most important thing you can do is get that tank to 78 degrees. It helps their immune system.. also ask your boss if he will pay the vet bill ...

No, I actually won't have to pay more because I can not keep them. Money is tight and I can't afford any higher of an electric bill, my mother will flip out. I only need to hold onto it for a week. My boss thinks they're going to die anyway, but I really don't want to. Considering, $44 is a lot of money to me right now.

Right now I don't have a way to get a thermometer or a water heater, so I'm trying my best to keep him warm from the heat light.

I just finished rigging a bit more of a reflection rig over half of the tank with foil. It's well out of the reach of the turtle and I'm sitting here watching it for a bit to make sure it's not too warm, I'm only going to leave it on for a bit.

If you can't take care of them and your boss thinks they're going to die. Find a herp vet and see if they'll take them.

flutterby wrote:If you can't take care of them and your boss thinks they're going to die. Find a herp vet and see if they'll take them.

That's a very possible option that I did not think of.

The water is definetly warmer now and he was just briefly swimming around like crazy. I'm monitoring it to as best as I can temp. wise to see if it's getting too warm in there.

The past hour or so he's been about five times as active as he was before. He's swimming around a bit, sitting half way in the water and extending his neck all the way. Still hasn't eaten, though.

Beings I don't have a thermometer available right now, are there any warning signs I should look for that he's over heating? I'm going to try to get one tomorrow morning.

Nice, that water depth is much better. If you could buy one of those 99 cent stick on thermometers you could monitor the water temperature. Don't lose hope, continue to offer food.

BTW, the bulb is either 50w or 75w, I don't remember and I left the box at work. It's about 8-9 inches from the water and the whole top and two sides of the tank are covered in foil and it's helping keep the heat in and heat the water.

That pic looks encouraging, he has his eyes open and looks alert. Do you have any pellets? Maybe drop two or three in the tank and leave him alone to see what happens......