Urgent Care :: breathing problem

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Post Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 6:21 pm   breathing problem

it’s been 2 days and my turtle started making wheezing sounds few seconds after his head is out of water then he breathes normal
he swims normal too not lopsided... no loss of appetite and he is very active ... is this respiratory infection ? what can i do :(
Aliness96
 
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Post Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 7:26 pm   Re: breathing problem

May just be a cold you could raise the water temp to a consistent 80* and the basking area to 88-90* could help since no other symptoms.
Look inside Swimmy's mouth. Healthy turtles will have a pink mouth and tongue when oxygen is getting to the blood. But carefully , watch for other signs...
Then some turtles just have a noisy stage , there body's grow faster than that small nose can support.
For peace of mind I would get an x-ray to see if lungs and air ways are clear. If early stages of RI will be easier to treat . By the time you see lopsided swimming will be much harder to treat.

Observe well.
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 2:53 am   Re: breathing problem

If he's aggressively swimming around, and then surfaces I think you might hear some wheezing. They even sometimes shoot some water out of their nose. Is he a little overweight? That might contribute to this.

A good visual exam couldn't hurt, but keep an eye out for other symptoms.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 4:30 am   Re: breathing problem

ok thank you ... swimmy’s mouth is pink from the inside i noticed that when he yawns ... i already set the temperature at 80
also i let him free roaming under the sun for 1 hour.
steve he is aggressively swimming!! specially when he sees me .... how do i know if he’s overweight?

i will keep observing thanks again.
Aliness96
 
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 9:23 am   Re: breathing problem

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Steve can offer other ways to tell too.
I found these pictures with heads in about same position. One the skin roll up against itself the other is bloated with fat. Their are different degrees of fat just a example picture used. Some are so obese they cant pull there heads all the way in. The rear legs would show that same bloated look if overfeeding. Wide growth margin’s between scutes is another way to see overfeeding.

Good well balanced , varied , and nutritious diets help’s with a habitat that’s large enough for swimming exercise. If only a small setup can offer obstacle’s for a turtle to climb on for exercise , they love that , great climbers ! Just make them escape proof. Must be creative in glass aquariums due to there small footprint , that’s why I use stock tank’s. Much wider , easier to offer turtle things. As you know turtles are very persistent . Make it a little hard for them. They will look and try until they win an obstacle , I can do it , I can do it !
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 9:51 am   Re: breathing problem

well swimmy doesn’t look like the one in the picture i guess he is ok... but right now he doesn’t want to stay in his tank ..when i approach him he try to climb my hand to get out ... is this because i let him roam outside?
Aliness96
 
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Post Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2020 10:15 am   Re: breathing problem

That's good !
A well varied diet never hurts a turtle or us .

For some it’s only because they connect one as their food source.
You and Swimmy have more , a trust, which some never see or have. Another reason I have Piggley in a stock tank on the floor next to my chair. My hand is always hanging over in the tank playing with him. He loves my attention , we play all the time. I place a towel from tank to my chair and he climbs up it and over like a bridge to get on my chest to watch TV. Guess I have him spoiled or he has me trained well.

Be careful turtles can be super fast when they want to. I'm an old man now so when I walk Piggley I made an figure 8 leash , like an iguana leash for safety .
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Post Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 6:12 pm   Re: breathing problem

i think there’s something wrong with him ... he is very very active
when i turn off the lights he doesn’t sleep like he used to .. i cant sleep either because of the noises he makes in the tank
this is new behavior i haven’t seen him like this before ... is this normal? btw he is still wheezing
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Post Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:23 pm   Re: breathing problem

As I stated earlier I would see a vet and at least have an x ray done (about $35) and maybe some blood work for peace of mind so you know for sure.
litefoot
 
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Post Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:27 pm   Re: breathing problem

Out of curiosity, does he breath like that when still? When on land? I also think a vet visit might be in order.
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steve
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Post Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 3:46 am   Re: breathing problem

no he doesn’t... only when his head is out of water for few seconds
ok ill see a vet.
Aliness96
 
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Post Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 11:01 pm   Re: breathing problem

OK, I would just make sure it doesn't happen when he isn't exerting himself. Sometimes they get too excited :)
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