Urgent Care

It is summer season here. temperatures range from 34 to 37 degrees celsius. Come May weather forecast indicate rains so I'm a bit worried of the incoming cold weather. This might worsen his condition.

Last Tuesday I've been watching him bask the entire day and he didn't seem to open his mouth as frequently as he did for the last 3 weeks. I thought he was making progress on the RI so I was surprised when he got off the log at about 8 pm. He would usually tire from basking by 6 pm. Wednesday morning, he was on the basking log when I woke up. He didnt come down to eat. Then the unresponsiveness on Wednedat night.

How is he now? Sorry if I asked this before, but has he responded to any treats/live prey? They usually make an extra effort when they see something squirming.

He seems back to normal since Saturday. Havent tried live prey. The treat I would give him would be the cichlid sticks. He readily eats this. His appetite seems to be back to normal. He swallowed the first 2 pellets without munching/chewing. So I added 2 more but he seems to struggle with these. Seems to have a hard time chewing them. But he eventually ate them after a few minutes.

Saturday afternoon he had mucus in the mouth again (transparent and looks sticky which dries out after a few seconds) but only once. I dont know what to make of all this.

Also cleaned his tank last Sunday including his shell. He was squirming and running away. Took a while to finally get him. When I was holding him he kept his mouth open. And he continued to struggle. Felt his hind legs "kicking" at my hands.

hi darla! i'm a RES owner too. i can recommend the University of the Philippines Vet Med Hospital. the consultation fee is only Php150.00. you can look for Dr. lester. i've already brought my turtle Dumbork there. good luck with your turt!

thanks dumbork14. It's nice to meet another RES owner from the Philippines. I'll know where to bring my RES next time he gets sick. Just to update he has recovered from his RI. For two months now, havent seen the symptoms like lopsided swimming and open mouth while basking.

@dumbork14 - Where is the vet hospital located? Diliman or Manila? Thanks

@darla - good to hear! the vet hospital is in diliman.

thanks dumbork

Late reply, but so glad to have something to refer people to.
Thanks!

My turtle showed symtoms of RI about 8 weeks ago - it could have been longer but we were not aware of the symtoms. All of a sudden he started throwing up. This went on for a couple of days and then he stopped eating altogether. Also, his personality started to change. The signs were the following: lethargy (no energy), basking longer on his dry rock, lack of interest in toys - playing, no appetite (stopped eating), uncoordinated weak swimming, struggling to climb onto his dry rock and blood in his mouth (towards the end).

The biggest sign of his RI was what we thought was anxiety - vomiting was actually him struggling to breathe - lung/breathing problems. Our turtle needed antibiotics and a VET's attention immediately. We should have taken him out of his tank and kept him in a dry very warm area (to prevent drowning).

We waited until days before he died before we started giving him antibiotics (threw a needle/long tube we designed) and ensurer/boost (drink typically given to humans with lots of vitamins). Days before he died we noticed blood in his mouth. The bleeding continued for several days as we gave him his antibiotics. The night before we thought he was getting better he wouldn't open his eyes and he struggled less when we gave him his medicine.

We are heart broken. We think our turtle caught some sort of bacteria from friends who were caring for him while we were away. They had dogs and did not wash their hands when they fed and played with him. We were always careful to wash our hands before handling him.

aww,sandy11, that was heartbreaking. nothing can replace personality of a pet turtle.

sorry to hear that sandy11. my turt survived the RI. It has been 2 months. But now he has ear abscess. Read that this can be caused by a recent RI. Still contacting vets. Hope I can find one soon.

Sorry for your loss Sandy11

@Sandy11 - sorry to hear about your loss. I know it hurts.

@darla1699 - not sure if you are referring to an ear abscess or an ear infection. If an ear infection, then yes it can be the result of an RI - just like when a human has a cold; the lungs, ears, nose, etc. can be affected.
Look at your little one straight on (face to face) - if one side of the head (the part on top that runs parallel to the red stripe) is larger than the other, or if both look swollen, then an ear infection is likely.
Also, check the nostrils. As you know, they normally look like perfect little round little tunnels - if one or both start to look like slits or closing up, then odds are the infection is hitting the head.
Sorry, I don't have a solution, but hopefully, it will help you assess the current status.
Sending my best wishes.

Urgent Care :: How long can a turtle last if it has RI?

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