Urgent Care :: is he normal?

[fungke]

ok, i have two turtles.
i have posted here before for help and you are all a great help.
i have had them both for approx 6 months. 2 of which in "proper" care, where by having the proper equipment.

the smaller turtle stopped eating i think almost a month ago. i took him to the vet and all he could say was that the turtle was mal nourished. hethen proceeded to give my turtle vitamin shots and said that he would be fine, if not, then go back for another set of shots. apart from that...he said that nothing was wrong. i want a second opinion but i believe there are no other reptilian doctors in the area.

after the shots, my turlte's were dialated and acted very lathargic. there were a couple of occasions where he would just lie there and i thought it died. even when i picked him up, he had no real response. a couple of days later, he was a little more active but still would not eat. lately i have noticed that when he is on the basking area, he would need to open his mouth every 10 seconds or so as though trying to take a deep breath. is this normal? or possible RI?
i went through symptoms and other posts suggesting RI, but still don't know. i really prefer not taking him back to the vet i originally visited as he did not seem to be much help and gave me the sense he was after the money more than the care of my turtle.


How big is your turtle?
2 inches

How long have you had it?
6 months

What is the water temperature?
80-82F

Are you using a water heater?
yes

How much water is in there?
10 gallon tank filled halfway

Are you using a water conditioner?
yes

Are you using any filtration?
yes

What is the basking temperature?
about 90-92

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

Is there a UVB light?
yes

What have you been trying to feed it?
green organic lettuce, pellets,

When was the last time your turtle ate?
approx a month w/o counting the vitamin shots

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
10 gal

Is the tank near a window?
no

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
partially

Have you read the Basic Care section?
yes

Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
excessive "gulping" when not in water.as though trying to breathe


both my turtles have a relatively soft shell. i have a calcium bar in there, water conditioner, UVA/UVB light. both lights are turned off automatically at night. the other turtle eats and is more active, but shell is still soft.


sorry if i am jumping around here...

[grey goose]

He probably shot him full of vit A... bad idea if the turt is genuinely sick. In fact he may have made a bad situation much, much worse.....
I think your turt is in critical condition, if not terminal. You need to go to the vet listing on this site and find a real herp Vet (I know there are at least 5 in the greater Toronto area) and get them there ASAP!!!

[fungke]

yes,
vitamin A, B, calcium.

is there a herp you recommend?

[SpotsMama]

It sounds like you're doing a good job but I'm afraid it also sounds like at least one of your guys has RI. That struggling for breath is not a good sign. Breathing with his mouth open, lethargy, loss of appetite are all key symptoms of RI.

If one of your guys is sick and the other isn't, you should separate them because RI is contagious and you don't want both of them sick.

You mention there is a calcium bar in the tank. Is this a cuttlebone?

[kc]

fungke, i live in toronto too and i had recently taken my turtle to the vet. i don't know which vet you went to but i would highly recommand "the links rd" vet. you can find their info on this website or just google it. they are located near Yonge st. and 401. let them have a look.

also, i remember when my turtle was about 2 inches, she used to open her mouth every once in a while while basking. i didn't take her to the vet back then and she turned out fine. many of the symptoms you described are pretty familiar to me. back in the days my turtle used to open her mouth once in a while. and there was a period she didn't want to eat.

i would suggest you to take your turtle to the vet when you can. however, if you think(base on your judgement) your turtle is not THAT bad, i would suggest you to give your turtle some time for the shock it had during the previous vet visit. let your turtle had some quiet time. by that i mean move her "home" to some room in the house where there's low activity(preferably no activity at all). make sure the room is dark during the night and bright during the day. let your turtle do whatever it is comfortable. give the little thing some time. turtles are tough little buggers. if there's any change please let us know. we will be more than happy to help.

p.s. when your turtle starts to eat again, i would highly recommand Nutrafin Max. i personally think that's the best brand. that's my turtle's main food. it made my turtle look SO HEALTHY.

[da sAUCE!]

yeah that sounds like an RI. to the vet's office! let us know all about it!

[scripta_elegans]

I too, had to go to two vets to get my little turtles treated. The first seemed pretty clueless. all three were lethargic, not eating, and sleeping on the dock a lot. He told me they were just adjusting to the enviornment. I went to the only other herp vet in the area, a 30 minute drive, who told me they were all critically ill, and gave them a 50-50 chance even with Baytril shots for a week. One of 3 died for all my efforts, and the first vet got a furious letter, but not the harsh beating that I wanted to give him. The idiot. I would highl recommend seeing another vet, as you have a few available, and some vets, like doctors, are totally clueless.