Urgent Care :: turtle crushed...no obvious break

[cellar]

How big is your turtle? 4 inches
How long have you had it? since march

What is the water temperature? 80
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 50 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? only on water changes
Are you using any filtration? fluval 205 and bio wheel

What is the basking temperature? dont know
Is there a basking light? ocassionally
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? a floating turtle log
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets, blood worms and veggies
When was the last time your turtle ate? today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 55 gallons
Is the tank near a window? nope
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? occasional lookers, not a lot

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no


alright so after a few days of rain here my pool had lost nearly all of its chlorine, tested between 0-1 ppm so I put my little RES in with my buddy and I while we're shootin hoops. buddy goes to get out of the pool, turtle is under the ladder, i yell to get him off and the turtle takes about 3 seconds of being crushed. Pulled him out and put him in my hospital tank and he starts throwing up the pellets i fed him earlier. checked his entire shell for bleeding and didnt see any. looked for cracks but cant see any defined break lines just a minor flaking along the back ridge. He's back in my big tank and has been sun bathing up until the light just turned off. he has eaten since i put him back in there and doesnt seem to be changing his behavior.
where can I go from here?

[4Lancer4]

I would go for a check-up incase there is a internal injury, I think you have done the best you can on the exterior. Just my suggestion because he did throw-up the pellets maybe his stomach or another organ took injury

I hope your turtle is truly fine!
Best of luck!

[megcornell]

He should definitely see a vet to have an xray.
May i ask what you mean when you say there is only a basking light "occasionally?"
I hope everything turns out alright with your turtle.

[cellar]

the lil guy is in a full aquarium with some larger tropical fish. the water level rises and falls to help with potential breeding of the fish (which means snacks for the little guy) and when the water is high it comes too close to the bulb to leave it on. i'd say the light is off 2-3 days of the week but when it is his platform is still close enough to the uv light that he gets a little heat and since it is summer i put him in his own little pool outside when its off as well.

[marisa]

I'd have him checked out. 3 seconds is short, but long enough to do some damage.

He should have his own set-up with the lights (UVB and heat) on for a defined period of time; the basking area temp should be 88-90F. The lights should be on for an average of 12 hours a day.

[cellar]

i just spot checked the temp with the heat light off and its at 82 on his log, would that temp for 2-3 days a week be alright? ill check the temp with the light on tomm. he seems to do very well in the large tank, although i have to clean it a little more.

[marisa]

82F is too low, especially for a smaller turtle. He may be doing OK, now, but the lack of opportunity to bask under proper lighting is eventually going to affect the health of the shell, and is going to affect other physiologial processes like food digestion (he needs the warmth to digest his food).

He needs a set-up for a RES, not to just be part of a fish aquarium.