General Care Discussion :: My new babies

[jeffreys-res]

Hey I'm back again , I just got my 2 new baby RES yesterday. They are so cute and tiny... I'm starting to worry about them. They are not eating at all and just laying in the water all they and under the island I have in my tank. Most of the time they keep their eyes fully closed and they to play dead. please someone help me, I would hate to have them die on me.

also they don't seem to like taking a rest on the island I have for them.

[marisa]

They need time to adjust.

What is the water temp and basking area temp? Water should be about 78F and basking area 88-90F. Check the temps with a thermometer.

[RunninWideOpen]

I agree, temps are highly important. Cold temps can cause lethargy.

I'm sorry to say it, but it concerns me though that they are so inactive right after you've gotten them. My experience and almost all the ones I've read are that the turtles are kinda frantic when you first get them. They run whenever they see you and are constantly swimming against the walls of the tank.

Turtles don't play dead. When they are extremely lethargic, they're usually close to actually being dead. I would get them into a vet asap or take them back to the store. Where did you get them?

[jeffreys-res]

at the moment the temps are right like you both mentioned. I also notice that one of them tends to flip over on his/her back and floats. he/her trys to get over back on there own but do it. So I help her get back over.

is this a sign of something bad?

[jeffreys-res]

alright and of righ now, I notice that one of them are eating. I also notice that the one that's eating is bitting the other one's tail and the one that's not eating tends to swimm around like he's crazy bumping and fliping over doing everything.

I've never seen this before and I'm worried.

[Starchick]

This sounds like really strange behavior. A turtle should be able to right itself underwater with no problem. If you're seeing aggression I'd separate them, they don't need that extra stress. I'd get them to the vet, the floating thing just doesn't sound right.

[DavidY]

Where did you get these babies from??

[jeffreys-res]

Thanks I'll look into a vet near by to have them checked out.

I just ordered these baby RES from turtlesale [not reputable].com

[DavidY]

omg

I knew it as soon as you mentioned their symptoms. We really need to post some kind of warning about that place on this forum!!! You could have been spared a lot of grief if they would stop hiding the name of that evil place! They're actually helping t u r t l e s a l e . c o m by not allowing their name to be mentioned in all of the negative posts on here about them! I really don't understand the policy here regarding this issue!!

Your turtles are sick and most likely dying. You can take them to a vet for treatment but one of them sounds very ill, possibly neurological damage from what you're describing, and beyond help. The other might be okay if you get it immediate medical care from a turtle/herp vet. I'm sorry this happened to you.

I'm not yelling at you but this has to be highlighted for anyone else who is reading this...

T U R T L E S A L E . C O M SELLS SICK AND DYING TURTLES!!!
DO NOT BUY FROM THEM!!!!

[jeffreys-res]

OMG. Is this right? I knew I should have asked about them before I placed my order knowing that I only payed 1.95 each for them i'm so sad I just took a look at my tank and the one that's not eating and really sick is always on his back floating as if he's dead. I just took him out to see if he's alive which he is. He just acts like he's dead in the tank and when he swimms he goes around and around really fast in circles and bumps his head all over the tank. mind telling me about how much I should be looking to spend for a visit to the vet for them. Not that' it really matters.. I'm located in new york.

[Starchick]

Generally for an office visit you'll pay 30-50 dollars for the exam, then extra for whatever treatment. I see Gary Rothman in Jamesville NY and the exams are 40 dollars, then the baytril shots he gave me were 15 dollars for a week's dosages. I saw another vet once in Mattydale and her prices were similar. The most I ever paid was at an emergency clinic, where the exam and meds together were about 115.

[steve]

Jeffrey, I'm sorry that you have purchased from them.

David, I would have appreciated if you taken this issue with me instead of this kind of reply. We have considering other ways to address that site and I disagree that we are helping them.

We've been mulling over the idea of a breeder/seller list as well as re-wording the censor. However, given the lack of search people do on this site and elsewhere, I wonder what would have prevented some people to have bought from them in the beginning. Frequent use of their name will actually help them in nearly all search engines.

[jeffreys-res]

Generally for an office visit you'll pay 30-50 dollars for the exam, then extra for whatever treatment. I see Gary Rothman in Jamesville NY and the exams are 40 dollars, then the baytril shots he gave me were 15 dollars for a week's dosages. I saw another vet once in Mattydale and her prices were similar. The most I ever paid was at an emergency clinic, where the exam and meds together were about 115.

thanks for filling me in, does not sound to bad. I'd just have to hit yellow pages and find a vet ASAP. I hate when something goes so wrong.

[DavidY]

The really sick turtle will probably need to be euthanized unfortunately. Keep him in a separate container with only enough water for him to sit in and remain on his feet and a raised area to climb out on (with a lamp for basking). If it's neurological damage, it may be able to live like that for who knows how long, but it will probably never be able to swim in deeper water.

The other turtle most likely has a respiratory infection (the most common ailment for baby RES) which usually will run you $60 to $100 for a visit to the vet and some antibiotics. If you are able to administer the medication yourself that should be all. Otherwise you'll have to bring the turtle into the vet several times for more antibiotics. If the turtle is strong enough it should recover with proper care. But if he is already too weak he may not respond to treatment.

It's really up to you and what you are able to afford at this point. You could probably call around to the different vets in your area and tell them what happened and ask if they could look at both your turtles and offer recommendations. You might be able to negotiate their fee as well if money is a problem.

[jeffreys-res]

Jeffrey, I'm sorry that you have purchased from them.

David, I would have appreciated if you taken this issue with me instead of this kind of reply. We have considering other ways to address that site and I disagree that we are helping them.

We've been mulling over the idea of a breeder/seller list as well as re-wording the censor. However, given the lack of search people do on this site and elsewhere, I wonder what would have prevented some people to have bought from them in the beginning. Frequent use of their name will actually help them in nearly all search engines.

Thanks Steve, everyone has to find out something on there own lol. I will never ever give them any biz again.

Thanks