Urgent Care :: Mr. Tortuga hibernating or sick?? Help!!

[Mike S]

My RES has not eaten in a week. He is always hungry. He is acting normal and hangs on the dock. I don't have a heater but have had him for 5 years without. He hangs out on his dock alot and hides in the plastic box underneath that helps to support the dock sometimes. Tonight he was in his box and I touched his leg just to see if he was ok. His eyes were shut and he was stiff just like my box turtle was this summer when she died. I went outside upset and when I came in he was partially out of the box, His leg was fully extended and I touched it and he swam away. Is he sick or hibernating? My box turtle used to hibernate for several months without coming out. In the 5 years I had my RES he has never hibernated. Please help me!

Thanks,
Mike

[Mike S]

Should I put some warm water in the tank until I get the heater??

[rocketright]

Hmm... You definetely need a heater. You should have it around 79. If you don't it's probalby like 70 and that is called the death zone...

[jenaero]

Actually, I keep the water temp 70-75. I think mid to low 60s/50s is the death zone.

Get a heater and a good thermometer and see if that makes a difference. What is the basking temperature? Do you have a heat lamp and a uvb bulb?

[Mike S]

I have a uvb for basking. How do you tell the temperature of basking?

[industrial_girl_2000]

I have a uvb for basking. How do you tell the temperature of basking?

With a thermometer (just hold it on the basking area until the temp stops moving and that's the temp!). Go to the petstore & talk to an employee about getting a thermometer to measure a reptile habitat. They can help you pick one out.

[SpotsMama]

Hi Mike, you say you have a UVB for basking. That's great - but did you know that the UVBs, being flourescent, don't generate heat, and you really also need a heat generating light for the basking area? In other words, you need to have two bulbs for basking - one for UVB (which won't generate heat) and one for heat (which won't generate UVB).

For heat, most people use a regular household incandescent light bulb. It does mean you need a second light fixture for the bulb.

Turtles won't feel motivated to bask unless the temperature on the basking area is at least 10 degrees warmer than the temperature of the water. They have to bask so they can dry out, which is required for a healthy shell, and so they can absorb good UVB and UVA rays, which are necessary for a variety of reasons.

Forgive me if you already know all this - I just want to be sure!

If your water is so cold that your turtle is trying to hibernate, then that's a very dangerous situation for a captive turtle. If cold water isn't the problem, and your turtle is sick, then he'll need to see a good herp vet right away. Do you have a good herp vet?

Here's some good info on why a captive RES shouldn't hibernate:

http://www.redearslider.com/hibernation.html

Good luck!

[marisa]

You need both a UVB light and had heat light for your turtle. Add a heat light and check the basking area temp. Put a thermometer on the place where your turtle basks (putting it on an object the height of your turtle would give a more accurate reading). Let it sit there for 20-30 minutes and check it. A temp of 88-90F is good.

Get a good submersible heater and an aquarium thermometer to check the temp. If your RES is healthy, a water temp of low to mid 70's is OK. (You might want initially have it a few degrees higher (76-77F) and lower it when he becomes more active. It's winter and the temps around the country are really cold. He may have gotten along without a heater in the past, but it sounds like he needs one now.

If the room he's in is really cool, cover a good portion of his tank at night to trap in the warmth from the warm water.

[Mike S]

Hi,

I want to thank everyone for their assistance. The cold water was it. I purhased a heater and thermometer. The water is in the low 70s and now he is very active again. The UV bulb does not produce heat as everyone mentions. I am pruchasing a bulb that produces heat tomorrow. I took him to the herp today (a very good herp at that) and Mr. Tortuga is in great shape! He tipped the scales @ 3.1 lbs. I wondered how the wild RES's survived the winter and the information provided was interesting. Thanks again! So you know I am new with the RES. The people we got him from kept him in a dry tank not knowing he was a water turtle. He was out of water for months. Once I saw those webbed feet, I knew he belonged in the water. I often see RES's basking on the sidewalk in a nearby pond.

Mike

[SpotsMama]

What a relief! When you get a chance, why don't you post a picture of Mr. Tortuga? I love that name, by the way!

[industrial_girl_2000]

So glad to hear that he is doing better!!!

We love pics.....post a pic of your baby if you can.

FYI: they survive in the wild by going into a FULL hibernation state in the Winter. They dig into mud, stop moving, & slow their metabolism WAYYYY down. This is natural in the wild since they can pick the area where they hibernate & feel safe in the area they picked. In captivity, they can't necessarily pick their hibernation spot & it may somehow be inadequate which causes them to be in "semi-hibernation".

The best way I know how to explain this is if you compare your bed at home to sleeping on the floor. You can sleep on both, but somehow I think you will sleep better in your own bed since it meets your needs better. Know what I mean?