My turtle (Samuel) seems to be having a strange mix of symptoms that don't point to a clear cause, based on my findings after lurking on the forums here for a few months and combing the archives over the past week. I'll explain them below, and I've added a tl;dr list at the bottom of the post, along with some pictures. We have a vet appointment at 9 AM tomorrow, so I'm really asking to see how to prepare for our visit tomorrow, and to see if I can worry less in the meantime.
Samuel has been reluctant to eat over the past two weeks, and only ate yesterday when he got some freeze dried crickets and worms. My parents watched him for two weeks before that (as he's been at his "vacation house" for a month now, and was set to go back to his normal house on Friday); they said he was reluctant to eat the red leaf lettuce, but ate everything else happily. (I suspect he may have been over-fed a couple of times during those two weeks). Others have noted that even indoor turtles can have lower appetites in the winter, so I chalked up his low appetite and irregular pooping to the changing seasons. However, this week I've noticed some other symptoms: he has fanned his penis twice this week, not seemed to pass any digested food (unless he's eaten it before I saw it); and today, he has been kicking at his tail, and now has some weird, non-localized puffiness/swollen flesh (see pictures below). The swelling doesn't look like the cases of edema that I've seen online, but maybe that's because this is in the beginning stages? I also see that one person suggested that fanning can be symptomatic of constipation, but that doesn't seem to be repeated much here, so I'm not sure how much to worry about that.
My two main fears are impaction or constipation and kidney problems. Both seem unlikely to me; he doesn't have any substrate in his tank (although he has had some cuttlebone before I realized how to remove the backing--he usually only pecks at the soft part, though, and doesn't eat much of it at all), and his diet seems balanced to me. The vet we're seeing tomorrow specializes in exotic animals, and works at the same vet office as our usual doctor, so hopefully they will know what to do.
(One other note: I had been treating him with diluted chlorohexiderm, a disinfectant prescribed by my vet for his excessive shedding. (She tested the shedding pieces to make sure that they were not symptoms of a bacterial or fungal infection, so it can't be either of those). This meant that I applied it to his skin and shell with a q-tip and dry-docked him for one hour every 2-3 days.)
Here are my three questions, but feel free to add any thoughts you might have:
1) Do you know what these symptoms might point to (especially the swelling), and have you had experience treating them? I've tried putting him in a bath of warmer water once today, but it didn't seem to help, since he didn't have any bowel movements. I've read about people using mineral oil, but since he's reluctant to eat his pellets, I'm not sure that will work.
2) What should I should keep in mind when we go to the vet tomorrow? I know that vets are quick to recommend Vitamin A shots, which can be risky, but is there anything else I should watch out for?
3) Also, should I be dry-docking him overnight (or keeping him in a smaller water-filled container)? He doesn't have any tank-mates that might attack him, and I don't want to stress him out by moving him and changing his habitat any more than I already have.
Thank you so much for your help! Answers to standard questions and pictures are below.
How big is your turtle? 5 inches
How long have you had it? 8 years, since he was a hatchling (from family friend, not pet store)
What is the water temperature? 75 degrees Fahrenheit
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes (installed Eheim heater two weeks ago, just bumped up temperature dial from 73 to 77 F)
How much water is in there? 20 gallons (usually lives in a 40 gallon breeder tank with 30 gallons of water)
Are you using a water conditioner? no (I've been testing the water weekly with strips, and everything seems to be in the normal range)
Are you using any filtration? yes, Zoo Med 511
What is the basking temperature? 82 degrees Fahrenheit
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes (a bit more difficult than his usual diving-board-style platform, but he's climbed it multiple times each day)
What kind is it or what is it made out of? mercury bulb (combination UV A, B, and heat)
Is there a UVB light? yes
What have you been trying to feed it? usually eats 50% red leaf lettuce and occasional carrot shavings, 30% Mazuri pellets, and 20% frozen aquatic turtle diet cubes from Healthy Herp (mix of protein and vegetables)
When was the last time your turtle ate? yesterday (after a week of ignoring most food, ate dried crickets and worms), and possibly today (seemed to take two bites of green leaf lettuce)
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons full, with ATBA (temporary small tank at parents' house; usually lives in 40 gallon breeder)
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? moderate activity-- in family room with TV, two parents in 60s, and couch potato dog
Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Here is a brief list of symptoms described above:
- swelling that appears to move slightly when turned from side to side (see first and third picture below); not visible when head is fully extended
- low appetite that only changed when offered dried insects
- seemed not to be digesting food, especially carrots
- fanning twice over past week, and once before then; when this happens, he's lying on the bottom of the tank with his back legs extended
- today, kicking back legs at tail
(Still alert and active)
