Urgent Care :: Bird attack!

[serenityfound]

How big is your turtle? less than 2 in
How long have you had it? almost 5 months

What is the water temperature? 77-80F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? ~10g
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? Uncertain (I ordered a thermometer for the basking area, but they sent the wrong one)
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? Plastic ramp with textured material
Is there a UVB light? No

What have you been trying to feed it? Reptomin Baby, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, Reptomin shrimp treats
When was the last time your turtle ate? Uncertain

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10g tank (the person who gave it to me said it was 20g and I just found out it's a 10)
Is the tank near a window? by sliding glass doors
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? At times. Long periods where no activity, followed by a period of high traffic

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes
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So, here's the story: The UV light I bought back when I first got my two turtles broke fairly soon after I got it and I haven't gotten a new one yet (money and all that). Since I live in Southern California, I take them outside with me as often as I can to get some direct sunlight. They sit outside in a box near me while I read, garden, etc and I NEVER leave them unattended. Until today....

The smaller turtle (Spock) hasn't been eating well/regularly since we moved about 3 weeks ago, so I was trying to feed him in a separate container. That container and the box with the other turtle (Kirk) were sitting on the porch (which has a kind of slatted covering, so there's shade and sun) and I had to make a quick run to the grocery store. I stupidly decided to leave them out. When I got back, a blue jay had Spock a few feet away on the ground, pecking at him!

I chased the bird off and checked his shell for damages, and he seems to be physically unharmed. I'm not sure if the bird dropped him on the cement, though, and at what height. They are both staying pretty well retracted into their shells right now. Has anyone else had this kind of experience? Was your turtle okay after? Are there any signs I should look for that something's wrong?[/i]

[steve]

Hopefully they'll feel better in the morning. Once they're back to normal you can check them out... they've had quite the scare and are lucky you got back in time.

Check for things like sensitive limbs and appetite. Instead of using a feeding tank, use their normal tank.

[serenityfound]

Once I put them back in the tank, they seemed alright. Spock (the one actually attacked by the bird) even swam about more energetically than he has been lately. That's not exactly difficult, though, as his trademark "chill" has increased since the move...

The problem with feeding them in the tank is that Kirk eats all the pellet food before Spock can get to it. Between that and his recent reticence to eat in his separate container (which wasn't a problem before we moved), I'm not sure I'll be able to tell if his appetite decreases! For such little guys, they sure can be such big worries!

[steve]

Take the one you're not feeding and put him into the feeding tank... it doesn't need to be filled, it just needs to prevent escape (excluding transporters).