Urgent Care :: Now one is eating, but the other one is not !?!?!? H E L P

[DeNulsky]

I got their water at the perfect temp, I soaked their pellets in tuna juice and the one loves it... but the other STILL wont eat no matter what I do. She is even rejecting straight Tuna... I don't know what else to do HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DaddySkittles]

Ok I know this is a pain but could you please answer these questions:

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

Have you read the Basic Care section?
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[DeNulsky]

How big is your turtle? they are both a little smaller than a golf ball
How long have you had it? about 3 weeks
What is the water temperature? 75-80
Are you using a water heater? No/ they are in a heated room that water seems to reach the right temp without it
How much water is in there? enough for them to submerge and stick their heads out..
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? mid 90's
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes a large rock
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Rock/ from outside, and bolled to clean
Is there a UVB light? yes Zoo Med
What have you been trying to feed it? baby RES pellets/ soaked in Tuna juice/ Tuna in Water
When was the last time your turtle ate? I haven't seen him eat at all, the other I saw him eat about 20 minutes ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window? a window is about 4 feet above the tank
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Just not eating and doesn't seem to swim AS much as the other.

[DeNulsky]

I was just looking at his one eye ( the one who is not eating ) And it seems like maybe he has an eye infection- I notice he rubs it a lot, and it appears to maybe be a little swollen... could that cause him not to eat and if he has one, what do I do????

[steve]

You should separate them for now. Get a water heater, make sure the water is 78-82F, get some water conditioner, some thermometers and try some of the other things on the entice eating page (like meal worms). I would do all of this ASAP and look for a good herp vet while you're at it.

[DeNulsky]

Thanks for all the help... and I'm sorry I am kinda new at this... whats a HERP vet?

[SpotsMama]

A herp vet is one who treats reptiles and amphibians. The term comes from herpetology, which is the study of reptiles and amphibians. A good herp vet should know about turtles, while a vet without herp knowledge probably only knows about mammels.

[rocketright]

Also. You need bigger aquariums ASAP. You do know when these turtles are full grown you will need two 120 gallon aquariums.

[DeNulsky]

Thanks for the vet info!

I have bigger aquariums lined up, but right now they are VERY small, really their not much bigger than a quarter, they seem to be doing great with the 10 gallon for now. Why should I go bigger already?

And the one that is eating has been doing GREAT and food seems to be his favorite thing so far!

The other one is still not eating and I have separated them. He still did not eat and wasn't swimming at all once I did separate him.

Today I thoroughly cleaned their tank out, and put in bottled water, I replaced the filter cartridge, and the water is crystal clear.

I put the one who isn't eating back in and he seems to be swimming a little bit more but still isn't eating.

[SpotsMama]

Were you able to locate a vet for the little one that won't eat?

[DeNulsky]

I have been looking but not too much luck yet, I live in Wilkes Barre, and the only one that is somewhat close is like 2 hrs away... so i am still looking
Hopefully I will have some luck REALLLLY soon!

[SpotsMama]

I'll keep you in my thoughts.

[industrial_girl_2000]

A submersible glass tube water heater is one of the best "insurance" you can get to prevent respiritory illness in turtles (and for a 10-gallon tank, you can pick up a 25W heater for about $8-$10. CHEAP). Just keeping the room temp at 82 degrees won't necessarily cut it because air temperature can fluctuate wildly during the day without you knowing it.

Also, get a stick-on thermometer for the outside of your tank so you can "at a glance" see the temp of the water. Check it daily to make sure your turtles are always at a proper temperature. These little stick-on strips are less than $2 and again, that way you will always know for a fact that the temp range of the water is good.

The reason why I stress water temp so much is because my first 2 turtles I ever had 18 yrs ago died because I didn't know about proper water temps. They both developed respiritory illness ("RI", also known as "pneumonia"). Turtle vets were far & few inbetween and no one knew how to treat them. They both died & I was very sad over this. Nowadays, the information is there. Water heaters are WIDELY available. There is no reason that any turtle ever has to suffer from this very *preventable* illness.

Good luck!

[marisa]

75-80F is a fairly large range for the water temp, especially since they're hatchlings. They do need a water heater, setting it at about 80F for now would be good. Rather than mealworms, try an earthworm (cut it into pieces if it's large)---there's much more nutrition in them and it sounds like your turtle needs all the nutrition he can get...

Did you find a herp vet?

[DeNulsky]

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/penn.html

I found this page, my Parents live in East Stroudsburg so that would be SO perfect... But the only thing is the East Stroudsburg one has no numbers or anything, So I am thinking about calling the one in Allentown, and trying to head down there ASAP!

Thanks for all your help everyone, I really appreciate it.