Urgent Care :: A turtle at school.... ( New pictures)!

[Tenodera]

At my new school they keep a possibly an Ornate RES?

Anyways, I'm a bit worried about her health.

She has been kept in a plastic tray with a centimeter of water for 2 years.

I told the class and teacher about basic care and habitat requirement, and we all worked together to make it better.

Now she's in a rubbermaid with aqautic plants and a piece of wood for resting.

But I checked her plastron and the seams between each belly scute has a red line. Is this Septicemia? I was observing her and she didn't act like she was sick. She was very alert and was swimming around slowly.


How big is your turtle? She is around 4 inches.
How long have you had it? Not mine.

What is the water temperature? 60-70 oF
Did you use a thermometer? No
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? Around 7 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? No

What is the basking temperature? air temperature
Is there a basking light? No
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? No
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Wood
Is there a UVB light? No

What have you been trying to feed it? Turtle pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? It ate a pellet this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 15 gallons
Is the tank near a window? Yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? She SEEMS normal, except for the red seams in between the scutes on the plastron.


I'll go to school tomorrow and take pictures of her for clarification. Also, I volunteered to take her to a vet soon. But since I don't have any tanks will an unheated plastic container filled with water suffice for 2 nights?


Thanks,


Kevin

[marisa]

Not necessarily, but having her checked out would be good. There's no reddish tinge to the skin or seam on the carapace?

I'm sure you know the temps she needs and that she needs some UVB rays. When/if it's warm enough can she be brought outside for some sunlight?

Does she eat? Did she only eat that one pellet when she was last fed?

[RESnTX]

If you have a heating pad you could try it under the container on the low setting. When I had to dry dock my turtle that's what I would use overnight so he wouldn't get too cold. I only put it under one side so he could go over to the cool side if he got hot. It should help keep the water from getting too cold if you only put it part of the way under the container. I also used towels in between the container and the heating pad so it wouldn't get too warm.

[SpotsMama]

Isn't the climate where you are very warm? Is the turtle room cool due to air conditioning? If there's a chance she'll get a chill, perhaps the class could take up a collection to get her a good water heater. Like Industrial Girl says, a water heater is the very best preventive medicine.

[Tenodera]

I don't have a heating pad and there's no air conditioning in my room and the temperature outside is pretty cold. She's been kept in cold, unfiltered water without ever getting RI so I think she'll be okay with temps.
All she wants to do right now is climb the edges of her container and eat.


Well I brought her home today...



I'm keeping her in this temporary setup. The water is shallow BECAUSE: I don't have any bigger containers, and I also read that turtles with septicemia often feel extremely tired and I don't want to tire her out.

She ACTS normal, she's VERY active, and she eats. A LOT.



Anyone would think she's a happy, healthy turtle, if not for THIS!



What do you guys think?

I'm taking her to a vet the day after tomorrow. ( Holiday tomorrow)

I hope she makes it.

[RESnTX]

She sure is a pretty girl. She is also very lucky that you go to that school. I hope the doctor visit goes well and it's nothing too serious. Spotsmama had a great suggestion about taking up a collection. I wonder how that poor turtle ended up at the school.

[marisa]

She looks amazingly good, and I don't really see any other red areas (the pink in the first shot is just the pic??). I'd be surprised if she has septicemia, especially since you said her appetite is good. I'll be curious to learn what the vet says.

[megcornell]

What has she been fed? I'm thinking she probably gets shrimp as treats and maybe that caused the discoloration... she looks awfully healthy to be septicemic, but it's wonderful that she'll be getting a vet check anyways.

[SpotsMama]

She does look remarkably good considering the circumstances. I've read that a turtle with septicemia acts very sick. Doesn't sound like your girl. It will be interesting to hear what the vet says. Perhaps the red is some sort of algae or bacteria growing on the surface of the seams. Have you tried rubbing it - GENTLY - with a soft cloth or q tip?

[Tenodera]

She's been fed this this brand of somewhat red pellets. Do you think that's what caused the red colouring? She also has some red areas in the shell area behind her head.

She's a bit over weight. We're taking her to the vet tomorrow.

She really likes it when I scratch her shell! She wiggles her butt in the air when I scratch her shell! LOL!

[geckoben]

I suspect the red food is the cause for the red lines. Your turtle looks very healthy, I've seen a turtle that was strictly fed only shrimp for most of it's life and it was almost completely red all around.

[marisa]

You mean that pinkish area behind the neck on the marginal scutes in the first pic is really pic? When I had mentioned it above, I thought it was just a reflection in the pic... Can you see if any of it rubs off?

[Tenodera]

lol, no, that's just a reflection of my hand. My mom caught a fever recently and we've decided to stall the vet appointment until she actually SHOWS symptoms.

She acts really healthy... Likes to eat and try to crawl out of her tray.

And I'll talk to the teacher about the collection thing!

[mikee]

Teno -- I would not wait too long. That is like waiting until you get a heart attack and then going to the doctor. I know it will cost something but you can take up a collection and the vet may give you a break it you let him know that it is a school project and you will put his business card on the tank. Your turtle need a couple of things right away. 1- Warmer water would be a start. The temp should be at 78. 2- you need a basking area with a temp of 90-91 degrees with uvb lighting. They need these temperatures to metabolize their food properly. If you don't they can get shell rot and MBD which is fatal. The turtle has been extremely lucky and needs these up grades. Someone must be changing the water regularly to get him along this far.

[Tenodera]

I don't have any money or room to keep him in a good setup, my own RES has spent all my red envelop money with 15 gallon tank, filter, heater, basking dock, UVB, UVA, etc etc..

I'm working on a class collection for to provide a basking dock and filter which approx costs around 1600 total. The UVB will be provided by weekly walks outside. The lamp may perhaps come later. Taiwan is almost on the equator, I would believe a water chiller would be needed, not a water heater.

and yea, I know most of the turtle stuffs, I've kept a few turtles before this one!


NOTE: The redness in the plastron only seems to come out in certain times. I checked today, and it was pinkish. Then, I checked later and it was red again. Right now, it's pinkish.