Urgent Care :: Lethargic Behavior, Won't Eat

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Post Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 7:08 pm   Lethargic Behavior, Won't Eat

How big is your turtle? 3"
How long have you had it? 6ish months

What is the water temperature? 78 F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? 15 gallons approx.
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? ~90
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? From PetCo, a floating foam platform that is attached to the side.
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? dried krill, two kinds of pellets, dried shrimp, romaine lettuce, worms.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Monday the 12th, but he threw it up.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window? About 6 ft away, very little direct sunlight
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? College dorm room, two people. Not overly noisy/active.

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

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

I have read a lot about how to get my turtle to eat, but nothing is working. I separated him, put him in warm water (82ish degrees), and tried to feed him. Nothing. He's becoming very weak, and he stays out of the water 24/7 because he can't swim to the surface to get air. He also will no longer open his eyes, and they seem brownish around the lids.
On Monday I fed him some pellets, but he coughed/thew them up whole almost immediately after. Since then, he has not eaten. He responds lethargically and unenthusiastically to stimuli. When I touch his claws/head/tail he will flinch, but will not bother to make any effort to do otherwise.

The other turtle is behaving normally.

I'm extremely worried. I would take him to the vet, but my local vet will not be back until Tuesday, and other places around here are very expensive. I will bring him in on Tuesday, but I'm worried about how he'll hold up until then.

I have not tried live bait to get him to eat yet, since he won't even open his eyes.
lorlor
 
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:25 am   

Sorry to hear it, it hope he made it to the vet. You might also try a soak in Pedialyte... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&&q=r ... +pedialyte
stevec
 
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:24 pm   

How is he doing? Did he get to the vet?
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 8:02 pm   

Sorry for the late response...sadly, he died that night. it progressed really quickly, from the non-appetite tues to the lethargy starting thurs/friday to his death Saturday night. I'm fairly sure now it was a URI, since he was having problems swimming. Now I'm paranoid my other baby will catch it too. I emptied the tank water, scrubbed the tank, refilled/conditioned the water, bought a new filter, and new food to try to keep him healthy.

He hasn't been swimming strangely, but he has been sleeping a lot. I'm very worried, though I'm not sure if my worries are for good reason, or if I'm just paranoid.

Image
again, might be paranoia, but do his eyes look weird?
lorlor
 
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Post Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:06 pm   

sorry for your loss
1>juv. res
1>ouachita map <spike><R.I.P>
2>dog<sunny><nikki>
5>african cichlids
1>kitty<marley>
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coreyvht
 
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Post Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 4:22 pm   

Are they open? It looks like they're closed. If so, does he keep them closed a lot?
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:09 pm   

yeah, they're closed. he doesn't keep them closed too much, but he does sleep at odd hours.
lorlor
 
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Post Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 9:58 pm   

What are odd hours? Is he sleeping during the day and awake at night?
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steve
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Post Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 11:51 pm   

It's like, he takes naps during the day. Sometimes I'll look up and he'll just have his eyes closed, chilling between the tank and a small pot I have in there. Usually they're not that long, between 10-30 minutes if I had to make a guess. He sleeps at night. Maybe I just have a lazy turtle? :p
lorlor
 
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Post Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 12:21 am   

It's not unusual for them to take a quick nap when basking :)
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steve
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