Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 11:22 pm female eastern painted refuses to eat, barely swims
I'd appreciate any advice on what might be wrong with my little Philly. I'm willing and able to take her to the vet, but wanted to spare her the stress if possible. Back in mid-November, she stopped eating romaine, which was what I fed her 4-5 days a week. After about a week of this she eventually ate the Tetra sticks and algae wafers and some fish food but still wouldn't touch the romaine, but I was just happy she ate something. Things were fine then until about 2 weeks ago when she quit eating the turtle sticks and spent most of the day basking. At first I could get her to eat some of the more high-protein fish food (brine shrimp, carnivore pellets mostly) but for the last several days she wouldn't even eat that. When she's on the basking platform she spends her time away from the heatlamp, mostly hanging her head over the edge and down at the water.
From searching online, I've only come across three possibilities but none seem to fit:
Respiratory infection - water temperature has stayed above 75, I've not seen her yawning, and she doesn't have any mucus
Egg-bound - She was never extra-restless and I've not seen her scratching with her hind legs; I have a nesting box prepared but waiting to get the temperature of the soil warmer
Parasites from feeder fish - Unfortunately if she's not eating, there's no feces to collect to have the vet examine
The only other thing I can think of is that she's "confused" by the shifting weather we've had around here (SW Ohio). Can anybody give me an idea of what might be wrong with her? There are exotic vets in my area but none that really specialize in herps so I'd rather get initial info from people who know and love their turtles.
How big is your turtle? ~3.5"
How long have you had it? Little over 8 years
What is the water temperature? 75-77F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? ~65-70 gallons; weekly 30% water changes
Are you using a water conditioner? No, I let the water set in an open container for several days before water changes
Are you using any filtration? Yes, AquaClear 110 HOB filter
What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light? Yes, heat and UVB
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes, above-tank basking area (18"x36") with cork bark ramp
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Non-PT wood with cork bark and ceramic tiles as "flooring"
Is there a UVB light? Yes
What have you been trying to feed it? Typically feed her romaine, Hikari algae wafers, and Tetra turtle sticks; since this began I've tried frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, cichlid carnivore pellets, dandelion greens, Flukers floating turtle pellets, & ZooMed floating turtle pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? Saturday (1/28/17)
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 75gal
Is the tank near a window? Tank is located on an exterior wall, adjacent to a narrow, insulated window
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