Urgent Care :: my turtle's shell is soft :/

[guitaroutline]

Hi I'm new :]. My RES is about 6-7 months old, about 1.5 inches. He's very small for his age and I just took him to a vet because when I got him his shell was a bit soft and it has gotten worse since then. I've had him for about 5 or 6 months. I have him in a 15 gallon tank, the water temp is about 78 degrees, and his basking area is about 91. He has a UVB lamp and a basking light. I feed him Reptomin every day along with lettuce and carrots. With a feeder fish every 2 weeks or so. When I took him to the vet he told me to raise the temperature of everything a few degrees and feed him a calcium supplement. I've been doing that but he seems to be getting worse. He won't bask, he barely eats and he used to chase his feeders around all the time now he doesn't pay any attention to anything or anyone. The vet said that his soft shell wasn't that bad and he should start to get better really soon but it just seems as if he's getting worse. I dunno if I'm just being paranoid and worried because I love my baby or if I should look for another vet. Help?

[SpotsMama]

He's not acting like a happy turtle. How long has it been seen you saw the vet? What kind of calcium supplement are you giving?

What kind of UVB light do you have? Brand and wattage.

Did the vet check him for parasites? It's fairly easy to do - you give the vet a stool sample and it shouldn't cost much.

Any other symptoms? Swollen eyes, breathing with the mouth open or yawning a lot, mucus around the nose or mouth, foaming at the mouth, swimming lopsided or difficulty submerging?

Do you have a filter? If so, what kind? How often do you change the water? Do you ever test the water for ammonia and/or nitrites?

[guitaroutline]

SpotsMama- I give him wardley reptile calcium I mix it with a little bit of jelly and put it on some lettuce and when I do that he'll nibble at the lettuce but that's the only time he'll really eat. It's been almost 2 weeks since I saw the vet. I use Reptiglo 26W UVB light. The vet didn't check him for parasites that I know of. He doesn't have any of those symptoms. About 2 months ago he had swollen puffy eyes and I gave him eye drops and it went away. I have a filter, I'm not sure what kind it is. I know it's for a 20gal tank though. And I do partial water changes every other day and 100% changes once a week. He's basking now but this is the first time in a few days and I tried to feed him and he refused. I even tried a little shrimp which I rarely rarely give him and he didn't even look at it. He used to LOVE shrimp. :[

[SpotsMama]

Poor little guy. Sounds like you're doing things right.

Try feeding him a little tuna. Get some pedialyte from the drug store (it's a drink for sick children). Dilute it to half strength with water and soak him in the mixture twice a day for around 15 minutes each time. Keep the temp at around 82 degrees. Try to feed him while he's in the pedialyte solution.

Bump the water temp up to 82 degrees. That will speed up his immune system and may stimulate his appetite. Avoid stressing him - ie, don't pick him up unless you need to and keep the room quiet. Keep him very clean. If he seems to be having trouble swimming, keep the water shallow so he won't waste energy.

Did you get a good feeling when you saw your vet or did you feel like he/she was just winging it? What he said to do sounds ok except that, since your turtle's small for his age, I would have expected him to check for parasites. If you think your vet knows about reptiles then call him/her back and tell him/her your turtle isn't doing well and ask his/her advice. If you feel uncomfortable with him/her then find another vet. I think your turtle is ill and needs some more medical attention.

By the way, is here any gravel on the bottom of your tank?

Here's my standard advice for anyone who's taking their turtle to see a vet:: If the vet offers to give a vitamin A shot, first make sure the vet is positive your turtle really needs vitamin A and then discuss other alternatives to shots with the vet like eye drops with vitamin A, cod liver oil or food supplements. Several turtles have recently had very bad reactions to vitamin A shots and I think it's best that if vitamin A is needed (and often it's not) the safer methods be used instead.

Sorry he's not feeling well. Good luck and keep us posted on how it's going.

[guitaroutline]

He's doing a little better. I raised the water temp like you said and he seems to be a little more active. He was swimming around a bit chasing a fish I put in there earlier. Now he's basking. But he still hasn't eaten anything. I'll try the pedialyte tomorrow when I get home from school.

I did get a good feeling when I went to the vet. He owns 3 RES and 2 other turtles and one of the RES lives at the office because he says she misses him while he's at work haha. He has a nice setup with a large tank and stuff for just the little turtle. He says he's owned the three RES for almost 6 years.

And I did have gravel in the tank up until a couple days before I went to the vet. I took it out and replaced it with some rocks for him to play with.

I'm going to call the vet tomorrow when I get home from school and ask about checking for parasites. Thank you for all of your advice.

[megcornell]

A soft shell is somewhat normal in hatchlings. The shell should be a little pliable but not really soft... it is softer than adult or older juvenile shells though.
Have you tried bribing him to eat with tuna or another tasty treat? The fact that he's doing better in the warmer water is a good sign, maybe he needed to be a little warmer to encourage some appetite.
Has he always been a shy basker or did he used to bask in front of you? Most young turtles are shy at first (which can even be months)... so you may not be seeing him basking. I tend to think excessive basking is a sign of poor health- it usually serves as a precursor to other RI symptoms.
It's good you removed the gravel, keep an eye out for stray pebbles in the tank... the lack of appetite could be due to consuming gravel. Scoop it out when you see it so your turtle doesn't re-eat it.
I would think that parasites would increase the appetite because the turtle would be hungry due to the parasite stealing his nutrients. But, it's a good idea to get his stool checked anyways- parasites are an easy fix and if that's the problem it can really affect his growth if not treated.

Good luck calling the vet! You seem quite proactive about your turtle's health, he's lucky to have such a good advocate.

[SpotsMama]

glad to hear he's perked up some.

On the gravel - sometimes when turtles have gravel in the tank they eat it and it stops them up inside. Has your turtle been pooping ok? If he hasn't been eating I'd expect him to poop less but when he was eating pellets he should have been pooping. If not - be sure and mention it to your vet.

Meg - I think you're right about the parasites - I also think they would increase his appetite. But I also agree it would be good to get it checked, especially since he's small for his age.

[mikee]

guitaroutline -- I am no vet, but it sounds like he on the correct track. The little guy may have MBD( metobolic bone disease). Aong with thier shell and bones it also effect the jaw. The water at 80 and the basking light at 90 or 92 with UVB lighting should help. Good Luck!!

[ganon]

You know, a couple of months back I had decided to get a turtle,(courtesy of a relative). My RES was light green. To my surprise, my turtle seemed sick. I.E, he wasn't growing,nor was he/she eating, he was also sleeping all the time (just not active at all),swimming was rare on his part.Later on, I began to notice that his shell was way to soft. In the end he died. I never got a chance to get it to a vet. What could've I done wrong?