Urgent Care :: Turtle won't go in water & scratches a lot when does...

[zeprosnepsid]

I have two turtles in a 60 gallon tank with a heater in the water set to 76 and a UV light and a basking platform. They are in front of a window but we only open it on warm days.

Although we bought the two turtles together, 3 years ago, one has grown significantly bigger than the other (that's Oscar) and has been known to be a bit of a bully.

Now, for almost two weeks, the smaller one (Felix), will not go in the water. He only sits on the basking platform. He sits up there even with the UV light isn't on and he seems to sleep up there. We put him in the water ourselves for feeding but he isn't eating very much (he eats better when we feed him shrimp or krill vs veggie sticks, but that's always been true). Also, when he does go in the water, he scratches his neck a lot.

Any idea what's wrong with him? It's not the classic RI symptoms and I fear it may just be a result of the bullying. Oscar is at least twice his size now... I've been looking up vets in the area, but we're going to try feeding him separately first.

Any ideas? Thanks!

[kermitzaqd]

I would say that you're probably right, that it's a result of the bullying. Try separating the two and see if Felix is more comfortable being in the water. As long as he's basking, Oscar won't bother him. At least, that's what I found with my turtles when they were having aggression problems, that they were fine while they were basking, but the minute they would enter the water, it would start again.

Also, if you feed them separately, it might help Felix to catch up in size. That way you know how much each of them are eating.

Basking all of the time, though, is often a sign of sickness, so if separating them doesn't help Felix to be more active, I would consider taking him to the vet.

[untsmurf]

That sounds like what happened with my turtle, Donatello. He did that for about a month and he started getting a little better (going into the water and whatnot) but then he died.

Later, I found out that Mikey wasn't allowing him to eat and Donny wouldn't go into the water whenever Mikey was in the tank with him.

This might not be what's going on with your turtle, but if separating them makes Felix better, it will have to become a permanent separation.

I also agree with Kermit, that a vet may be in order.

[zeprosnepsid]

Sorry about your turtle unt, that is worrisome.

We've been trying to feed them seperately. Felix doesn't eat a lot but he is eating. But I'm still concerned. It's starting to get cold at night and he stays on the land instead of in the warm water. Also, he's been keeping his back feet in his shell all the time whether on land or in the water. I think I will have to take him to a vet.

Thanks for the advice.

[megcornell]

It's possible Felix is getting ill, in which case you should bump up the water temperature.
But it seems like the more plausible reason he's avoiding the water is bullying. The stress from that can make him ill as well.
If feeding them separately hasn't alleviated Felix's behavior, a vet trip sounds like a good plan to rule out health issue, but after that I'd really look into the second set up.

[marisa]

Have you noticed any cuts or broken skin on the back legs?

If it's getting cold and he's staying on the basking area all night, you might want to add some warmth---a red heat light or ceramic heat emitter for him at night.

The vet sounds like a good idea.