Urgent Care :: RES baby breathing from the mouth. Respiratory Infection?

[riverfront12]

1. He eats a lot.
2. He does not swim lopsided.
3. He's pretty fast as usual. Walking and swimming.
4. Eyes are pretty wide. Looks normal.
5. No bubbles or mucus from the nose.
6. Shell and body are normal, no shedding, no injuries, no soft shell.
7. Likes to raise his head slightly above the water exposing his nose, eyes and small portion of mouth while on water.


But my RES 3 month old baby turtle breathes from his mouth, opening them frequently, first time to saw him that way so I immediately put him in a different tank than his normal tank. Added luke warm water to the clean tank. I think he caught a cold or some sort. Lately it's been raining and my tank's in the balcony, open area. Natural sunlight for basking. He only eats pellets so far and doesn't eat lettuce (first veggie introduced). I concluded that this is because of the cold water. It's been raining lately here but the raindrops doesn't fall inside the tank. He seems fine to me. Everything is normal but the breathing through the mouth is new to me. Should I be alarmed from this? Well now I am really concerned. Any home remedies? I'm on a tight budget (newly bought house) and I want to make sure that he is okay with home remedies. Thank you in advance.

[steve]

His tank shouldn't be on a balcony. Does his tank have a heater, basking area, filter, etc?

[riverfront12]

Sorry this came out late. Didn't have space inside the house so that's why he's in the balcony. I also don't have UVB lights but direct sunlight is available but I know that it is not really recommended.

How big is your turtle? 3 1/2"
How long have you had it? Less than a month.

What is the water temperature? No idea.
Did you use a thermometer? No.
Are you using a water heater? No.
How much water is in there? 3/4 of the whole tank.
Are you using a water conditioner? No.
Are you using any filtration? Yes.

What is the basking temperature? No idea.
Is there a basking light? No.
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Turtle dock bought from pet store.
Is there a UVB light? No.

What have you been trying to feed it? Pellets, lettuce.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Last night, A LOT of pellets.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 15gal tank.
Is the tank near a window? Yes.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Not really. I need to buy more decorations inside the tank. Like plants or stones.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes.
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes a lot but I don't see my turtle's situation that extremely alarming like stuffed nose, bubbles, lopsided swimming etc. He only breathes through his mouth and that's it. He eats a lot like the usual, swims fast, doesn't bask irregularly, no puffy eyes, good skin and shell.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Just the breathing through his mouth frequently which I think is not normal because before he can breath through his nose but recently He does so in the mouth.

[slider_keeper]

Your turtle is being exposed to cold temps and the UVB is not going thru the tank glass. Putting a tank in the sun can heat the tank to dangerous temps and expose him to extreme high temps then at night the temp drops to too cold of temps the temperature ranges are probably thru the roof. Does he only breath thru his mouth when the sun is shining thru the glass? Without knowing the temps on the basking spot and the water, their is no way of telling what your turtle is being exposed to. 15 gals is very small for a 3 in. turtle. Does he even have room to swim?

[slider_keeper]

With only about 10 gallons of water, the sun will heat that up to high temps even when it isn't very warm outside. Smaller volumes of water are extremely susceptible to drastic temperature changes.

[riverfront12]

Your turtle is being exposed to cold temps and the UVB is not going thru the tank glass. Putting a tank in the sun can heat the tank to dangerous temps and expose him to extreme high temps then at night the temp drops to too cold of temps the temperature ranges are probably thru the roof. Does he only breath thru his mouth when the sun is shining thru the glass? Without knowing the temps on the basking spot and the water, their is no way of telling what your turtle is being exposed to. 15 gals is very small for a 3 in. turtle. Does he even have room to swim?

I don't have a choice. We don't have any space left for the tank inside the house. He breathes thru his mouth anytime of the day but he seems normal to me like the usual. Only the breathing thru the mouth is new. He has a lot of room to swim considering that I haven't put anything to obstruct his way to swim. Pretty much an open area. Even in the tank floor.

[riverfront12]

With only about 10 gallons of water, the sun will heat that up to high temps even when it isn't very warm outside. Smaller volumes of water are extremely susceptible to drastic temperature changes.

Yes I am aware of this. I will look for a heater and a tank thermometer to know the temperature.

[devilduck]

You might want to consider a large plastic tub over your current small tank. They will be much less expensive than a large tank. Where are you located? If it gets extremely hot you should shade your tank from direct sunlight as use a basking lamp instead.

[riverfront12]

You might want to consider a large plastic tub over your current small tank. They will be much less expensive than a large tank. Where are you located? If it gets extremely hot you should shade your tank from direct sunlight as use a basking lamp instead.

Philippines to be exact. I will buy a 40 gal tank today. Our balcony is not exposed to direct sunlight whole day. The sun hits our balcony from 6am to 10am. After 10am, no direct sunlight. If it rains, the tank won't even be hit by a single rain drop.

[dumbork14]

Hi riverfront12! If you want, I can give you some contacts on where to buy UVB lamp, as well as other tank accessories. I also have some vet contacts if needed; just let me know. What part of the Philippines are you in?

[steve]

Our balcony is not exposed to direct sunlight whole day. The sun hits our balcony from 6am to 10am. After 10am, no direct sunlight. If it rains, the tank won't even be hit by a single rain drop.

Make sure you have really accurate thermometers and measure the temperatures several times a day... it's still not recommended to use a glass tank outdoors though.