Urgent Care :: It's me needing tons of help

[carmat]

Ok, here I am. Been a Turtle Mom for almost a year to one turtle and not that long for the others. Thought this would be fun to meet other people, and now I find out I am not a good Turtle Mommy. LOL

Here goes

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it? BIG ONE A little over a year Little Guys not quite 8 months

What is the water temperature? Don't know
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? About 1/4 of a 22 (low-very rectangular) gallon tank
Are you using a water conditioner? Aquatize Conditioner Exo Terra pic below
Are you using any filtration? Yes it is a Whisper Internal Filter

What is the basking temperature? Don't know
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? Exo Terra Sun Glo Lamp
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it? BIG TURT Repto Min Floating Food Sticks Little Guys Repto Min Baby Mini Floating Food Sticks
When was the last time your turtle ate? Big one and One Small one earlier today....one of the little guys is "really smaller" and I got them at the same time, he has not been eating....but I noticed today that the BIG one is really dominant in the food area, and I have never really "watched them eat", so I removed the big one so the little guys could eat

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? across the top 30 inches by 12 1/2 inches, and it is 12 1/2 inches tall
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? YES

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Pink undersides...as noted by some of my new friends here, just on two of the turts....and the one that does NOT have the pink is the one I thought was MORE sickly.

How do I go about measuring the turts?

[carmat]

Here's a pic of the conditioner bottle

[xsavingsaturdayx]

First of all,knowing the water temperature is VERY important.You can purchase a cheap 2$ thermometer at any pet store.A water heater is a MUST a turtle in cold water can get very ill.And do you have a UVB light? If you dont,then you should go get one ASAP.Read the all the info on the main site,its realy good info! Good luck.

[Kallistos]

First off, you need a water heater and a digital thermometer to monitor the temperature. Hatchlings that size should be at about 78 degrees. Same goes with the basking temperature, except it should be 88-90 degrees. You left the question "is there a UVB light" blank so I assume you don't have one. This is also necessary, looking into a Reptisun 10.0, compact, if you want a regular light fixture to be able to be used.

As for the pink undersides, a vet needs to check that out. Boosting the temperature will help, but you need the water heater for that. Most people on this board reccomend the Marineland Stealth series of heaters. Drsfosterandsmith have them on sale.

[carmat]

This is my "basking light" I just no longer have the box on the bulb to tell me UVB or what type it is.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

That bulb looks like those night time heat bulbs,i doubt it produces UVB.A basking bulb produces UVA not UVB.

[carmat]

NOt sure if it was a "real" basking bulb...but that is what I was using it for. I'm so confused. LOL

Also, does Petsmart provide a Vet that will see turtles? I have no idea where to take these little fellers.

[carmat]

and how do I measure them for you all?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

I know its confuseing at first,but dont worry.Like i said go to www.redearslider.com which is the main site of this forum go to the lighting section and it explains everything you need to know about UVB and UVA and etc.

[turtledudee]

first off, you need a water heater, and a thermometer,UVB light and for measurements take a tape measure and see how long the shells are.
Do you have anything on hand that you could stik the two sickly turtles in rigt now?

[turtledudee]

also, i dont think you should go to banfield they charge ALOT

[Kallistos]

Carmat you need to start editing your posts. You measure a turtle with a ruler, don't include the curve....No, Petsmart doesn't provide a vet. Maybe you should look under the Urgent Care stickies, it says Locating a Herp Vet in the U.S. (and elsewhere)

Don't use those nightime bulbs, from what I've read, they can cause blindness. I hope you realize that 3 turtles will require a 6 foot x 2 foot aquarium or stock tank.

[turtledudee]

Camrat, You need to quarentine the two that have this pink stuff in seperate containers. keep the one that doesnt have it in the tank, Go to wally world and get two rubbermaids, my estimate (since you havent provided measuremnts) would to get a 30 gallon and a 20 gallon. dont fill them all the way up, they will bow, get something they can bask on,remember its only a temp setup. You need to answr us quicker for better results. Also, you do not need a filter for the rubbermaids. just do a 100% water change every 2-4 days. MAke sure these guys get checked by a vet and given whatever they need to be given.

[carmat]

Here's the measurements....takes me a while with a dh and 3 children to get everything accomplished in a matter of minutes....LOL

Michaelangelo (Formerly Myrtle, the one I have had the longest)


Donatello (Don and Leo I got at the same time, they were the same size)


Leonardo


I have also checked the site about vets...they are about 2 hours from me for Turts, so where do I go locally to get them checked out.

Donatello and Michaelangelo are the ones with the pink stuff, but Leonardo is the one that has been acting sluggish all week, and by the looks of the pics as you all can see he is smaller than his "twin" I got at the same time, Donatello.

[turtledudee]

it looks to me that the minimum size tank you should have is a 60 gallon. 3 inches +1.5 +1.5 = 60 gallons of water, start saving! also,look nto the rubbermaid thing, itll help your lil guys from stress and a possible spread. all you need is a rubbermaid and a basking area for each of the sickly turts. remember one turt one rubbermaid.Its the price of turtles.....sometimes its too much. also i havent found anything on the pinkshell. altough it might be internal bleeding or blood poisoning so get them to a vet FAST. Your not bad turtle mom, things just come up, it happens to everyone!