Urgent Care :: NOT EATING TURTLE

[faithin_felix]

Is RI blowing bubbles or just having bubbles because my turtle has a little bubble at the tip of her nose at times.

How big is your turtle? 1-1.5 inches
How long have you had it? almost 2 weeks!

What is the water temperature? 80F
Are you using a water heater? YES!
How much water is in there? about 20 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? umm i have a decholorinizor and pH buffer
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? i don't know..
Is there a basking light? it is a UVA AND UVB bulb in ONE but i dont feel any heat!! is it because of my lamp CASE
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?yes but it doesn't climb on
What kind is it or what is it made out of? plastic
Is there a UVB light? YAH

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets, frozen shrimp, lettuce
When was the last time your turtle ate? few days ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 31"x 12"
Is the tank near a window? nope
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Not really...only me.

Have you read the Basic Care section? YAH
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? YAH! but mine has already got used to the environment!

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? bubbles on nose

[faithin_felix]

ok it just ate a pellet dipped in tuna juice, and i'm jsut worried because theres this other pellet that wasn't dipped long enough and it is not eating it. i don't want to be dipping pellets in tuna juice all the time. and i had to drop the pellet DIRECTLY under the turtle, but once i raise the water level and it's on the bottom of the tank, it's going to be hard for him to see the pellet, any suggestions?

[SpotsMama]

If your turtle has bubbles on his/her nose and isn't eating you'd better get him/her to the vet ASAP. Those are two of the key symptoms of a respiratory infection. If he/she has RI, the vet will have to treat it if he/she is to survive.

I'm puzzled about the basking situation. You mentioned you were about to get a basking platform. Does that mean there hasn't been one until now? Has the turtle been able to get out of the water to rest and dry off? What's he/she been resting/drying off on?

On the eating, don't worry about having to soak the pellets in tuna juice forever. You can wean him off of the tuna juice a little at a time once he gets healthier. If he's having trouble getting to the food, put him in shallower water to feed him so he won't have to struggle. It's critical that he get some nourishment right now since it's been so long and he may be ill. If the pellets aren't doing it try to entice him with just a little plain tuna (tuna in water not oil). Shrimp is something else that most turtles will just gobble right up.

Good luck. Keep him nice and warm. I'm pulling for you and your little guy/gal.

[marisa]

Are the bubbles on the nose when your turtle is in the water or on the basking dock?

23C is perhaps a little cool for a turtle as small as yours. Can you set the water heater to 25-26C? The extra warmth will help your turtle want to eat.

From your description, it sounds like you have a UVB light (which also gives off UVA rays). Which brand is it? These bulbs don't give off enough heat to make your want to bask---you need a heat light as well, and this can be a regular light bulb. You need to clamp it next to the UVB light over the basking area (get the basking area soon). Get a thermometer and check the temp with both lights on---it should be 88-90F.

Why would it be hard for your turtle to see a pellet on the bottom? Are your turtle's eyes open or are they swollen and/or shut?

Since he ate a pellet, that's a good sign. You don't have to individually dip each pellet in tuna juice---I'd put some in a container for a few minutes, take them out, feed some to your turtle and let the others dry to give him another time. You just want to get some of the scent of the tuna on the pellets.

If he can see, and if the water level is deep, you might try feeding him in another container of water that's shallow so he can easily grab the pellets. Make sure the temp of the water in the feeding container is as warm as the tank water (75-76C).

[faithin_felix]

The bubbles are in the water, my turtle stays in the water 24 hours a day, i don't think he/she can climb up the rock and the store is out of turtle docks
I'm not sure what brand it is, but it said gives out UVA and UVB. well my turtle can only see pellets like an inch in front of him/her. SOmetimes i drop a bit too far in front and he/she can't see it. Also, how many pellets a day, should i be feeding him/her?

[faithin_felix]

if you look at that picture, this person has two bulbs and the long tube.
why does this person have three sources of light?
and the long one over the water, why does it do?

[marisa]

Perhaps to increase the amount of light in the tank. The light on the left looks like a coil UVB light, the middle light would be the heat light (they're pretty much both over the basking area, which is what you want), and the tube light could be another UVB light or an aquarium light, don't know which.

If you can't get a turtle dock at the store you went to, make a basking area for your turtle that's easy to get on (look in the photo gallery) or look in another store. Try to improve your turtle's tank by following the suggestions in my previous post (read it again). It's important that your turtle be able to get out of the water and bask. Making his water a little warmer would be good too (please reread the post above).

Imagine his head (just the head, not neck) empty and feed him as many pellets as would fit inside his head. Since he's small, you can feed him this amount once a day. Vary the pellets with other foods (look at the list for what's good to feed).

[faithin_felix]

alright, i added more water and i got a heater and the temperature is only 15C. it dropped since i added water, so i took the turtle out in a little container with UVB light directly under, it might take 12 hours for the heater to heat the water to 78-80F, i hope he's okay in there..

i plan to get the turtle dock from some place really far outside my city tommorow - hopefully BUBBLES (my turtle) will be okay.

[faithin_felix]

ok now ihave a dock but it never climbs up on it..

[iac637]

How long have you had the dock?

[faithin_felix]

three days, it climbed up a few times but i think it was BITING it? i wasnt sure it was 4 AM

[marisa]

What's the temp of the basking area?

[faithin_felix]

Umm, can i just take the thermometer out of the water and place it on the basking dock for 5 mins to test that?

[steve]

Leave it there for about 10-15 minutes. If you can place something there that is the approximate height of your turtle, like a rock, you'll get a more accurate rating.

[spin1078]

you may have the light to close or too far. If its a 50W bulb, 18 inches or more may be too far while 8 or less way to much. Im not an expert, this is just from experience. Also depends on the light. The ceramic (overpriced) lights heat more from what I understand.