I have a painted turtle named Melony who is going through a rough patch. She is 31 years old. About a month ago she got very lethargic and didn't want to move from her basking log. She went a week+ without eating and I noticed the telltale signs of a respiratory infection. Her eyes were a little bit swollen and I could see her cough up stuff while in the water and she would rub her neck a bit like she was trying to clear stuff. In the past 3 decades or so she's had 2 or 3 respiratory infections before and come through them in a couple weeks. Anyway, I moved her to a smaller 10 gallon tank and put maybe 2 inches of water in it, just enough for her to swim and eat with her basking setup and covered the whole thing with a towel other than around the lamp. After about another week in there she was more active and eating. She pretty much will only eat her sticks and dried shrimp. Occasionally I can get her to eat some cut up strawberry or apple but she honestly has never cared for natural food. Anyway, I left her in the small tank for another couple days and she seemed ok so I moved her back to her big tank. It has been about a week and she ate maybe on the first day and her condition I will say has plummeted.
She's now extremely lethargic, uninterested in me or food. Her eyes are a bit swollen but none of this is really what's worrying me. She seems to have stopped using her back legs. If I pick her up they just dangle where they would normally retract if I touched them too much. I'm unsure if she can even feel them. I have read about some tortoises who have stopped using their back legs for some time and then started using them again, shrug
. For the last 20 hours or so I have drydocked her with her basking setup and a bed of a towels in the small tank, the towels deep enough I could put a small recessed water trough in for drinking. Her only activity has been crawling to the cool side of the tank.
Now my real problems and questions. Because of the covid lockdown I haven't been able to get a vet to see me. Almost all of the vets in my area are herp illiterate anyway (I live very rural in Pennsylvania). Worse, because of covid I've lost my job with no date to return if ever. I'm doing well just to put food on the table and a couple hundred dollars in medicines IF i could get it really wouldn't be feasible for me. Is there a chance she'll get better on her own? Am I putting her through hell trying to keep her going? I know turtles can go weeks without food but she hasn't eaten in a week and I'm wondering if I do get a vet appt if I should have her put down. She's had a long good life with me. Ok I'm gonna cry some now haha.
Thank you all so much for the virtual ear. I really have no one to talk to about this stuff.
How big is your turtle? 5"
How long have you had it? 31 years
What is the water temperature? low 80s
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 4-5"
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes
What is the basking temperature? 90ish
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? Floating fake log
Is there a UVB light? Yes
What have you been trying to feed it? Reptomin mini-sticks and mini shrimp, strawberries.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 4-5 days
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallon long
Is the tank near a window? Kind of
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No
Have you read the Basic Care section? A little, I've been caring for this turtle my entire life.
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes
