Urgent Care :: previously very active turtle sitting/sleeping & not eat

[VLeduc]

Hello everyone, thank you in advance for reading this and any advice or suggestions you give.

I recently got 3 baby turtles from a friend, and recently I was out-of-town visiting family for about 10 days. During this time, my roommate fed the turtles some red leaf lettuce and 3 ReptoMin baby turtle food protein sticks per turtle daily. To his knowledge, none of the turtles ate more than the others.

Ever since I've returned last Monday, the turtle that was previously the most aggressive and most active (named DDT) has been nothing like himself. He just sits there all day, usually on the partially submerged section of one of the two landing docks.

He seems totally uninterested in lettuce and protein sticks, which he would previously bowl over the other two turtles for. I haven't seen him eat any lettuce, but he did eat at least one stick in the past 5 days.

I've caught him a few times with his eyes closed, but for the most part he leaves his eyes open, especially if I'm close to the tank.

The other two turtles, Butters and Hole, are completely normal (consistent with their respective behaviors before my time away).

I bought some Sulfa Dip from Petsmart, but I wanted to check with this forum before I proceed.

What's wrong with DDT?

How big is your turtle?
Small: all 3 are about the size of the circle that is made when you touch your thumb and your index finger together.

How long have you had it?
Since early January of this year.

What is the water temperature?
high 70s, around 78 F.

Are you using a water heater?
Yes, I'm using that long plastic green water heater with the grill and little red light. I think it automatically turns on when the water temp goes below 78.5.

How much water is in there?
About 8.5 gallons

Are you using a water conditioner?
No

Are you using any filtration?
Yes, I'm using the Tetra Whisper thing for up to 10 gallons. It hangs on the side with the grill part submerged and creates a little waterfall.

What is the basking temperature?
I dunno, but the heat lamp is about 5-6 inches away from the landing docks below it.

Is there a basking light?
Yes. See previous question.

Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
Yeah, two landing docks. The lamp is in the top left corner (from bird's eye view). One landing dock leads up from right to left along the top side; the other landing dock leads up from the bottom to top along the left side.

What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Both are the smaller versions for about $10 a piece. Made out of plastic it seems. They're the ones that are held up with black plastic sticks and suction cups, but left all of those things out so that the docks just float.

Is there a UVB light?
Yeah. It's one of those bulbs that are coiled. UVA and UVB, said the package.

What have you been trying to feed it?
Red leaf lettuce and Reptomin baby turtle food sticks.

When was the last time your turtle ate?
Wednesday or Thursday, just one stick.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
about 17 gallons, with half of it full of water.

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?
See description in the beginning

[missibsu]

Do you notice any mucus from the mouth, nose, or eyes? Is he breathing through his mouth or nose? Do his eyes appear to be swollen?

The basking temp is important to know. If your area isn't warm enough they won't bask, probably not your problem. However, if the lamp is too close it can cause hypothermia. Basking area should be about 10 degrees higher than your water temp. You don't want to fry your turtle.

[VLeduc]

no mucus from the mouth, nose, or eyes... can't tell if he's breathing through his mouth or nose bc he usually has his head above water (but his body is partially submerged); eyes do not appear to be swollen at all... how do i get ascertain the basking temp?

[marisa]

Sorry, don't understand your last question. If you're asking how to tell what the basking area temp is, put a theremometer where your turtle usually basks (on an object the height of your turtle would make the reading more accurate) and leave it there for 20-30 min, then check it. If you're asking how to get the basking area temp in an acceptable range (88-90F) use a wattage (you can use a regular lightbulb) that will get the temp in that range; if you need to, adjust the distance from the basking area as necessary.

[steve]

I would separate the turtles at this point and bump up the temps (82F for water, 95F for basking) and keep an eye out for other symptoms. If he is not eating or has trouble swimming, I would get him to a vet ASAP.

[VLeduc]

how do i increase the water temp? the water heater i have is auto-set to regulate to a range close to 78.5 (according to the box of the heater)

[marisa]

You can't regulate the temp of the water heater? (It would be good to get one so that you can.) You could try covering a good portion of the tank (I've used plexiglass and cardboard at various times) to increase the temp a bit. If you haven't been seeing other symptoms, getting the water to around 80F and the basking temp to 90F should be adequate...

[VLeduc]

he occasionally makes the bottom of his neck blow out like a bubble like a frog might do (but not as big)... does this mean anything?

[SpotsMama]

That neck puffing out thing is just normal turtle behavior - I understand he's sniffing the air!

[rocketright]

It's perfectly fine.

[VLeduc]

tonight is the third night for his sulfa dip bath treatment, and for some reason he's become very active tonight only while in the bath.. he's running around, the most active he's been in over a week... but still not eating anything... are you sure there's nothing wrong with him? this behavior is inconsistent with before

[steve]

I don't know what you expect the sulfa dip to do for your turtle and I still recommend that he be seen by a herp vet.

[SpotsMama]

The business about puffing out his throat is normal behavior BUT not eating and sleeping more than usual is not normal. Steve is correct, DDT needs to see the vet. Also, he needs to be separated from the others in case he has something contagious.

The sulfa dip can be useful but only for a very few, specific problems. For most things - like respiratory infection, impaction, etc - it won't do any good. That's why you need to take him to the vet.

good luck. Keep us posted.

[marisa]

What specifically are you using the sulfa dip for?

[VLeduc]

hi everyone,

thanks for all the help so far and in the future. i took DDT to the vet today, and the dr. isn't sure what's exactly wrong, but suspects that maybe the other 2 RES somehow injured DDT. He also said that it's not a respiratory problem cuz when that is the case, RES usually have trouble floating straight (as opposed to slanted with the left or right side higher than the other). He told me to continue the sulfa bath, and he also gave DDT an injection of antibiotics (very little... 0.01 cc each time), which is to be repeated 3 more times every other day. He also instructed me to keep DDT in a separate tank from the other 2.

sounds like he doesn't know exactly what's going on, but is taking the necessary steps for a clearer diagnosis later. (kinda like House) as long as DDT gets better, that's fine. keep you guys posted.