Urgent Care :: Think my RES is sick... advice?

[jamesdaniel88]

Hi, i've noticed one of my two young RES is being very lethargic over the past couple of days, not eating any food and basking alot of the time. By the way i'm new to this forum and any advice will be very much appreciated as i'm very new to RES. The one in question hasn't eaten all week

As i said i'm new to RES, i don't even know how old they are. I've attached a picture below if anyone wants to guess. One is alot biger and around 4 inches long and the smaller is around 2 inches.

A friend of my aunts was going to put them in the river as she couldn't find a home so me being me rescued them and i'm only used to keeping goldfish! Some basic info below



How big is your turtle? Not very big i don't even know how old either of them are. The one in queestion is barely 2 inches long
How long have you had it? 3 months

What is the water temperature? 75F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? Not sure
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? Not sure
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Plastic
Is there a UVB light? Yes

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

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 60 Gallon
Is the tank near a window? No but is facing the window from the other side of the room
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[steve]

Were both the same size when you got them? Are you certain the smaller one was actually eating? I would raise the water temp to 80F and separate them if you can. Also, the heater should have a line to where it's supposed to be submerged, unless it's a fully submersible heater.

[jamesdaniel88]

Yes the little one has always been smaller and i've sat and watched them after i've fed them and the bigger one just eats everything and the little one just ignores the food

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Almost looks like the bigger one isnt a res eiher maybe. Cant be sure though. Id seperate them and see if you can little one to eat by feeding it live foods like worms or fish like guppies or rosie red minnows. Even try dried shrimp. The bright red should attact the turtle. Also throw in some lettuce like red or green leaf lettuce. That you can leave go in the water and he might go for it. If this doesnt work you might have to go to a cet and see if they might be able to find something wrong with the little guy.

[texasreb]

I wanted to address a problem I see with your tank. It is going to break because the ends are not supported by the thing it is sitting on--it looks like a dorm refrigerator? The whole tank must be on a solid surface or it will break. If you don't have anything bigger to put it on...move it to the floor.

Good luck with your little one. I hope it comes around for you soon!

[jamesdaniel88]

Hi everyone, thankyou for all your advice. My little one has eaten today, i think they've been cold to be honest. I've got like a stick on thermometer on the outside of the tank which said 75F. But i've also realised the light is giving off barely any heat so the bulb must need changing so will be taking a trip to the pet store tomorrow.

I've cleaned the tank out today thats when i realised the water was quite cold. It feels luke warm now, is that right?

Also, could i pick all your brains, how dramatic do i have to be with hygeine/handling them? A girl at the pet store said to wear rubber gloves when cleaning them out and to disinfect everything that the tank/water/they come in contact with,is that a bit over the top? Is just good hygiene/washing hands etc not good enough? Advice please!

Thasnks

[penelope]

I bet you could get a lot more answers if you post the hygiene question in the "General Care" discussion...
But here is my two cents in the interim: remember, us humans have a temp of 98 degrees - so what feels warm to us is most likely warmer than 98, and what feels cold could very well be over 80 degrees...Best bet: get a good thermometer. I swear by my digital thermometer (Corallife) it only cost a couple of bucks - the sensor is attached to cord, so you can move it around (i.e., check the dock, check this side of the tank and then the other...)

As for cleanliness - Hmm...personally, if I have an open wound (scratch, cut, whatever) and have to reach in to grab something, I either wear gloves or have someone else reach in for me. The same thing when cleaning. If I have an open wound, I wear gloves. If not, then I simply wash with soap and water afterwards.

Since I do my cleaning inside, I do wipe down the surface with Clorox wipes after I'm done - umm...it's poop we're cleaning...'nuf said
Anyway, that's my personal opinion. Like I mentioned,you may get some better input on the General Care forum...mine is just one of many

[steve]

I would not use the Coralife as a primary thermometer. Over the past couple of years, they have proven to be very inconsistent.

If you and your turtles are in good health, and you practice basic hygiene then you should be fine. I usually don't use any type of cleaners in or out of the tank. Some people use vinegar and if there is a real need to disinfect, then you can use diluted bleach.

[PridgNYC]

I'll throw my two cents in.

On the Tank:
It could use a little more support. You can get a piece of 3/4 inch plywood cut to the same dimensions as the bottom of your tank at lowes or home depot. Put that under the tank and it should be okay.

Is the heater the thing on the left hand side of the tank? If so, it should have a lot more water covering it.

Which brings me to water level. -- Lots more water in there, bring the water level up so the floating dock is up near the top suction cups. You have a screen top, so they can't climb out, give them more room to swim.

Along with more water comes "keeping the water clean".

1. you might want to get rid of the river rocks, they trap turtle poop which is heavier than water. Pool filter sand is a better substrate because the poop settles on top. No substrate is preferable to river rocks.

2. filtration-- Is that your filter on the right? Is it an in tank whisper tetra that sucks from the bottom and flows out the top? You'll need to replace that, it doesn't have enough bio-filtration to keep a 60 gallon turtle tank clean. Start thinking external canister filters. A lot of us like the fluval FX5, but there are other solutions out there that can fit any budget. The key things to look for are media capacity (more media means less time between cleanings), and gallons per hour flow rate. Keep in mind that most companies basically lie about flow rate and give the rate tested at the pump level and with no media, so if you can get independent confirmation of flow rate with media present and in a typical installation that would be better. The goal is to be able to move the entire contents of your tank through the filter at least 3-4 times per hour. Even more is better, and the turtles do love to play in the current. The fx5 on my 75 gallon does about 560 gph with media (the pump is rated for 925 gph), so I am filtering the entire tank about 10 times per hour assuming about 60 gallons of water in there. (fluval is one of the few companies that actually report actual expected flow rates)

Why is the little guy basking so much? You say the water temp is 75; that is a little cold for small turtles, they prefer 78-80 especially if they are unhealthy, higher temps boost their immune system. Turtles can't regulate their temperature like we do by sweating and shivering and numerous other things our bodies do. They regulate their temperature by spending more or less time basking or in the water. That is why you should have at least a 10 degree temperature difference between the water and basking area.


FYI, don't remove the rocks until you upgrade your filtration to something that has plenty of bio media. Right now your rocks are the bio media.

[jamesdaniel88]

Cheers guys really appreciate your feedback!

[jamesdaniel88]

Guys little one is not eating again. Last night forked out £50.00+ on a new light, blood worms and a few other bits and just won't eat constantly basking and very lethargic.

Here's the tank as it stands

[steve]

So he did resume eating, then stopped again? Has there been any noticeable aggression in the tank?

[jamesdaniel88]

When i cleaned them out on Saturday and when i took them out and put them in an old washing up bowl with some luke warm water the little one was eating loads but has since stopped since going back in the tank. Haven't noticed any aggression now

[steve]

I would try feeding him separately again. Try not to "make up" lost feedings by giving him too much and you should remove those pebbles in the tank.

[jamesdaniel88]

Gave them a clean today, tried feeding little one seperatly and he was having none of it. He's not eaten properly for nearly 2 weeks. He goes to look at the food then just swims on. Could he have a blockage or something?

Here's an image of the current tank



Also here's a close up of his fading shell. He's obviously lacking calcium right? Ignore the chicken wire on top, stops the cats attempting to 'play' with them. Though they are bothered by them anymore