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Hello!

How big is your turtle? 1 inch
How long have you had it? 2 weeks

What is the water temperature? 75 F
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 5 gal
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? unknown, i have a small heat lamp
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? floating dock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? turtle pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? unknown, not in past 2 days

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gal
Is the tank near a window? yes, but closed
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? moderate

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? read below...


I recently became a new res parent, and i have an urgent question..
my one turtle has become a little more pale, and he seems to be very sleepy. he has no energy, i haven't seen him eating, and he floats around the tank. today he has been floating around tucked into his shell, and he opens his mouth every so often to let out air.

can you give me some pointers as for what to do/not do. i feel taking him to a vet would be pointless, as he is about a month old.

Thank you so much : )

Vanilla_chickie

It's important to know the basking temperature. I'm thinking he may be ill because he's not warm enough. Either that or he was already sick when you got him.

Taking him to a vet wouldn't be pointless, it would be doing him a big favour.

Taking them to the vet at any age is definitely NOT pointless. The unfortunate thing that people don't realize is that turtles have a slow metabolism that means they can suffer a lot longer than other pets until they die.

You need to confirm that the water temp is 75 degrees. A room temp of 75 degrees does not guarantee that the water is at the same temp. (and actually, 75 degree room temp usually makes the water about 68 degrees or less which is WAY too cold for a hatchling turtle). Get a cheap thermometer (they have stick on ones that you can stick onto the side of the tank) so you can verify daily at a glance what the water temp is. A baby turtle ("hatchling") water temp should be around 78-80. I have been using those cheap glass tube submersible heaters for 17 years with my turtles with a lot of success. Since you only have a 10 gallon tank, you would only need a 25W heater which is less than $10. It's the cheapest health insurance you can get for your turtle to prevent respiritory illness ("RI"). Also, the heat will encourage him to eat, as well as give him more energy.

Keep us posted!

For starters, you need to get him warmer. Get a good submersible water heater (I'd get a 50-watt one for a 10-gallon tank). Since he's so small and sleepy, aim for a water temp of 80-81F to boost his immune system and increase his activity. The basking area temp should be 89-90F. As noted, both temps should be checked with thermometers.

The warmth will help him fight infection and increase his appetite (hatchlings are sensitive to temps, if it it's too cool, he'll become inactive and won't eat like you're seeing now. Try something smelly to get him eating (bits of tuna or sardines packed in water, for example), try a good pellet for babies (Reptomin Baby, for example), also try some bloodworms or a live earthworm cut into pieces.

Keep an eye out for other symptoms---frequent yawning, open mouth breathing when he's on the basking dock, bubbles from the nose or mouth, tilting to the side when floating/swimming in the water. If you see any of these, or if he absolutely refuses to eat once he's warmer, if you really want to give him the best chance to live, find a herp vet.

thanks for the help guys...sadly, my baby passed away 2 hours later
: (
next time if notice any signs of illness i'll contact a herp vet right away.

I'm so sorry to hear he didn't make it. Did you say you have another one? How's he/she doing?

If u have another baby, get that baby checked ASAP since it could be some sort of sickness that can be transfered.

Sorry to hear you lost him.

ahhh i'm so paranoid now. i dont even know how old my baby is. =[

It's ok faithin, most of us don't know how old our little ones are! Unless you were there when they hatched, there's no way to really know.