Urgent Care :: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:34 am   How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

my little tiny Shrimp Biscuit is fighting for his life. SB was a rescue hatchling I took in this past April. Just two days ago, he was happily swimming around with his brother and sister (also still hatchlings, were all under very close supervision when I introduced SB, no fighting whatsoever, the other two are completely healthy). Today, he's completely lifeless. Even when I pick him up, massage his little tiny feet, nothing. He's only about an inch big, I'm pretty sure my herp vet won't do anything when they're that small (lost one 2 years ago because the vet couldn't do anything). He's on a zoomed dock, with a ceramic heat lamp, a uva/uvb bulb, and the water's heated. Is there anything else I can do at this point?

Rigormortis hasn't set in, and there's no smell, but other than that he has been showing zero signs of life. I searched on here but cant really find anything, how do you know exactly when they've left us? =(
alligibb417
 
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:25 am   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

What you're saying sounds exactly like what I went through...
..


I found the best way to tell... was to sprinkle a drop or two of water in his/her eye, if they blink, he/she still has some life left in them....
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Zepher30
 
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:39 am   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

His limbs would stiffen. You might want to soak him in a 50:50 water to pedialyte solution, though it doesn't sound like you can do much now :(
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 2:54 pm   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

this morning i did soak him in the 50/50 mixture, then put him on a dock in his own seperate tank.. unfortunately, i came home from work to find him floating upside down under the dock. =( =( =( RIP SB
alligibb417
 
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:25 pm   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

Sorry you lost him :(
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:32 pm   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

I'm very sorry to hear you lost your turtle.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:11 pm   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

I'm so sorry hun :( Hang in there.
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my.lovely.turtle.
 
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:43 am   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

You poor thing, well at least you tried. He's not suffering now.
UniversityGirl
 
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Post Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:12 pm   Re: How to tell if a turtle is dead..?

Sorry for your loss :(
You tried you best.
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