Urgent Care :: My Turtle is Making Squeeky Noises!!!! HELP :(

[ninja]

Hi all.

Age: I have a 6-8 months old turtle.
Food: Dry shrimps and dry turtle food (veggies i believe) = 5-6 pieces a day
Living condition: 50 cm x 50 cm tank with air filter. Plenty of space to rest on and swim in. Bottom of tank has rocks and sandy stuff.

I was gifted this turtle I named NINJA. Ninja is a super active turtle. However, the other day I washed NINJA's tank as always. I rinsed the soap etc. off with plenty of water. One of his rocks turned brownish so I bleached it and left it in water to rinse off and then washed it a few times and put it back in the tank.

However just a few days ago my turtle started to make noises where it would sound like a squeeking noise. Ninja makes these noises usually at night.

I figured he might be cold so I put a towel around his tank and added some warm water. I dont have a light thingy for him cuz his tank is too small for the lamp etc. He might die if i put a lighty thingy and a thermos. because his tank is too small for all that high energy stuff. So I just kept the lamp facing him. He loves the lamp I have so I keep it on for him sometimes.

However, just the other night I realised he was sleeping side ways and taking more breaths than he would normally. And everytime he takes a breath he would make a squeeking noise. So I looked at his nostrils carefully to see if they were blocked. But everything looks normal with him. The only thing is that he eats less than he use to. Before he would run for food now he is just kinda careless. I figured he might have got scared while i was washing his tank because i placed him in a bucket as always.

Now i dont know what the problem is. why is he squeeking. The noise did decrease but i want it to stop. I dont want my turtle to die Please someone help me.

I am in Europe and when i called vets here, they thought i was prankcalling! no one believed that my turtle is squeeking!

HELPPP

[steve]

Hi, it is usually not necessary to clean the tank with soap. Water temperatures are very important and the should be kept around 26C. The basking area and light are important too, since it helps them regulate their body temperatures. It's possible that it's too cold and that has lead to an illness. Croaking noises are know to happen but they usually don't occur regularly.

Having the right temperatures and setup is an important preventative for many illnesses. You need to reconsider how you are keeping your turtle if you expect him to thrive.

[marisa]

If Ninja's tank is too small for a light and a "thermos" (is this a water heater or a thermometer?), it's too small for him.

What is the temp of the water and basking area? You really need to find out if it's too cool for him. Temps that are too cool often lead to respiratory illness. Is he exposed to any cool drafts (AC?) or breezes? If he is sick, he will gradully lose his appetite until he no longer will/can eat.

You need to do some reading on what your turtle needs to be healthy. Since he was a gift, maybe you weren't prepared and didn't have the correct set-up for him. But since his behavior is changing and you're concerned, you owe it to him to improve his habitat.

BTW, he doesn't need an air filter, he needs a water filter. He needs both a UVB light and a heat light that are positioned over the basking area (does he have one?). Check those temps and improve his habitat.

I don't know what's in the pellets he's getting, but getting dry shrimp (5-6 pieces?) every day is too much protein. You also need to do some reading on what to feed him.