Urgent Care :: Time for a trip to the vet?

[cfrenia]

My RES hatchling is very lethargic. He basks for probably 8-10 hours a day and sleeps a lot of the time he is up there. When I put him in the water he just floats around then usually swims back to the dock.
Other than that, he has no symptoms of an RI or anything - he eats well, no open mouth breathing or anything. Once in a while I'll see him open his mouth on the basking rock, like yawning I guess.
I have a vet appointment scheduled for Tuesday...I don't want to waste the money if he is just lazy, not sick!
But if he needs it I have no problem spending the $$$. What do you guys think?

[DavidY]

I think a check up is probably a good idea. Turtle hatchlings are never lazy. Lethargy and excessive basking is a sign that something is not quite right. Hatchlings will normally dive right into the water if you approach their tank. That's a natural instinct. The fact that you have to put him in the water is really odd. It may not be anything serious but then again it could be an indication that he is coming down with something. A visit to the vet with perhaps a fresh fecal sample (if you can get one) would be the safe thing to do. I hope he turns out okay.

[megcornell]

I took my turtle to the vet a few months ago when she started listing, I didn't wait to see if other RI symptoms appeared. At the time, she was still eating and had roughly the same level of energy as she normally would. In retrospect, I don't know whether it was an RI or not, but I felt it was worth the money to go to the vets anyways, and I personally think it's so much better to catch illnesses early than to wait for other symptoms to be sure.
There's no harm in taking the turtle to the vets. If it's large enough for diagnostic tests that could be a bit expensive (my hatchling was too small for most), but it's worth it in the longrun, and it sounds like your turtle is acting differently than normal so better safe than sorry

Good luck!

[SpotsMama]

I definitely think you should go to the vet. You know your turtle's normal behavior, and if it's changed and is causing you concern, then you probably are on the right track.

And David is right - the little turtles especially are supposed to be very lively and jumpy.

Turtles can get other illnesses besides RI, but that's the most common one. If it is RI, then it may be the early stages since he's still eating and doesn't seem to be having a great deal of trouble breathing. If so, then this is cause for hope. The turtles that survive having RI are the ones that are treated early and aggressively.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[cfrenia]

Thanks for the replies . I'll definetley keep my appointment.
One other thing- he doesn't seem to be scared by me at all. When I walk in the room he just looks at me...doesn't jump off the platform or anything. If I go to touch his face or something, he doesn't even put his head in.
Could it just be that he's not shy or is this very odd behavior?
Also, I think he's probably too small for tests. He's only about an inch - maybe a little bigger.

[DavidY]

That is extremely odd behavior. If he were otherwise active and swimming and playing around it wouldn't be a bad thing, but since he is lethargic as well, it's cause for concern. I hope he's okay. It's really good that he is still eating though.

[steve]

One other thing- he doesn't seem to be scared by me at all. When I walk in the room he just looks at me...doesn't jump off the platform or anything. If I go to touch his face or something, he doesn't even put his head in.

It's because of the lethargic behavior and it sounds like its very severe.

[marisa]

Lethargy can be an sign of something else besides an RI, so it's good to have him checked out.

You said he looks at you when you walk in the room---are his eyes normally shut and he "wakes up" when you enter? What do his eyes look like---any puffiness or swelling?

[cfrenia]

If he is awake, he looks at me, but if he's sleeping I usually have to nudge him to wake him up.
His eyes look fine - no swelling or anything.

[steve]

Is he still eating? What is he eating? What are the water and basking temps?

[cfrenia]

He's always been a very picky eater. He will only eat tuna. The water temperature is 80 and the basking temperature is a little higher.

[urbancleopatra]

Well all that tuna certainly isn't a good deal for him. It should be used as a treat only. You need to start offering pellets only (soaked in tuna if it helps). The little munchkin might not warm up to them right away but he will resort to eating them when nothing else is available. A vet visit is a definite! Until then maybe try bumping the temps up a degree or so (make sure that basking temp is 10 degrees above the water temp). Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!

[cfrenia]

Thanks everyone! I have a vet appt. at 445 so ill let you know how it goes!