Urgent Care :: bubbles

[Jayqualin]

I noticed recently Peanut produces bubbles out of this nose espeacially when he awakes from sleep possibel RI i think.

How big is your turtle? -5 to 6 inch
How long have you had it? - 2 years and a half

What is the water temperature? - changes temperature for a reason...I think there's something wrong with heater

Are you using a water heater? - yup
How much water is in there? - 3 quartres of the tank
Are you using a water conditioner? - yup
Are you using any filtration? - yup

What is the basking temperature? - not sure but it's pretty warm
Is there a basking light? - yup
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? - yup
What kind is it or what is it made out of?- Zoo med floating dock
Is there a UVB light? - yup

What have you been trying to feed it? - Reptomin pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? - this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? - 20 gallons tank
Is the tank near a window? - nope
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? - not always

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? -

Yawns underwater and the bubbles when he awakes

[Kallistos]

The water temperature can't be changing more than 1 degree, invest in a good heater and monitor the temperature. It must be constantly between 72-75 degrees. Same thing goes with the basking area, it's not acceptable for it to be "well it's feels warm." Get a thermometer and adjust it so it's 88-90 degrees. Since your turtle is sick, boosting your water temperature to 78 will help. I'm not too well read up RI. Also, 20 gallons is WAY too small, 10 gallons/inch. You're looking at 55-75 gallons here.

[Jayqualin]

okay i'll boost up the temperature. I'll buy a thermometer soon mabye today. And I plan to get a bigger tank ASAP. But what are the bubbles?

[industrial_girl_2000]

Is he opening his mouth when he is on the basking dock? Opening the mouth underwater really isn't a concern since that's how they get a drink or yawn. And sometimes they expel air when they are underwater.

How often is he expelling bubbles? Does he have bubbles when he is above water? If the bubbles are underwater only does he just look like he is "burping"?

[Jayqualin]

I got a thermometer today and it seems like the water is 82.5 farenheight too high?? It's one of those digital thermometer and Peanut bites at it, can he break the cord of the Thermometer by biting it?? Peanut blows bubbles out of his nose, I never seen him blow bubbles with mouth or breathing with mouth open. The "bubbles" are air bubbles and not mucus. And I never seen him have bubbles on nose out of water.

[Starchick]

My turtle had pnemonia a few months ago and that was one of his symptoms. When he was sleeping there'd be small bubbles kind of moving in and out of his nose. The vet said to also check and see if water comes out of his nose when he's out of water. I took him to the vet because he wasn't eating and his color changed suddenly, not even suspecting an RI, but they immediately noticed that he was breathing heavily. I didn't notice the difference until it went back to normal, but when he was sick, the area between his front legs and neck heaved a bit when he was breathing in and out. So please check those things and keep us posted.

[d0eb0y]

82 may be too high for the water. drop it down to 78-80.
And if your worried about him chewing on the cord just take it out of the water and only use it when u want to check the temps. Now what about his basking area? What is the temp up there?

[megcornell]

My turtle Leo occasionally blows bubbles and then chomps at them when they hit the surface- it's like a little game he plays with himself.
My main concern if I were you would be to increase the tank size and get your temperature issues under control. In terms of the RI possibility, I'd look for a few more signs before I panicked too much,,, good luck!

[marisa]

When you say he blows bubbles when he awakes from sleep, does he sleep under water? Blowing air bubbles under water really isn't something to worry about. If he's eating, not blowing bubbles when he's out of the water, and not open-mouth breathing, he doesn't sound ill. If you're worried, keep an eye on him.

Since he doesn't sound like he's ill, you might lower the water temp by 4-5 degrees. Basking area should be in the range of 88-90F.

[Jayqualin]

Basking temp is 84 degrees. Peanut is not eating He started eating less and less since saturday when our house was being renovated. He ate one pellet today that's it. Now he won't even look at his pellets. What's wrong with him?? I even upgraded his tank to 46 gallons and he is very active no sign of lethargy. he 's Very hyper as usual. I don't understand what's happening to him. As for the bubbles, he always sleeps underwater and after he awakes he immediatly releas a couple of buubles from his nostrills

[Kallistos]

A turtle your size should be in water temperatures of 72-75, basking temperature 84-90. Try dunking the pellets in tuna juice to entice him to eat. I assume that when he wakes, he pull into his shell and he has to realease are to fit in.

[Jayqualin]

I tried that already and he still didn't eat his pellet. But he ate the tuna.....so He was actually being picky then??? I only fed him tuna once last month though why would he suddenly go picky??

[industrial_girl_2000]

I tried that already and he still didn't eat his pellet. But he ate the tuna.....so He was actually being picky then??? I only fed him tuna once last month though why would he suddenly go picky??

It sounds like he is at least eating something, which is good. How much of the tuna did he eat? Was it the normal amount he would eat, or less than that?

Do you hand-feed peanut? Do you feed him in the tank or in a separate pan of water? I would try soaking the reptomin pellets in water to soften a little bit, then hold a pellet down to his face to see if he will take it from your fingers.

[megcornell]

Could it be stress from the renovations and the new tank? When I upgraded Leo it took her a few days to realize that it was her new home and she may as well bask and eat there.

[Jayqualin]

I fed him new and fresh gammarus pellets and he is now slowly eating a few each day. I guess he gave up on the reptomin pellets and he now wants gammarus again. I noticed that he lost alot of weight too.