Urgent Care :: Turtle open/close mouth

[germanrican]

How big is your turtle? About 2 inches
How long have you had it? Around 2-3 months

What is the water temperature? 80.2f
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 40gal, between 1/4 and 1/2 full.
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes, pet store recommended Amquel Plus
Are you using any filtration? Yes, a turtle filter from Tetra

What is the basking temperature? I'm not sure
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? One of those ZooMed turtle docks
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? It eats great. (His name is Pig and he lived up to it). It eats a mix of Reptomin Pellets, Dry Shrimp, and red leaf lettuce twice a day.

When was the last time your turtle ate? A mix of dry shrimp and pellets

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallon
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Mild activity. Pretty quiet mostly.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? I've browsed a few pages of the forms, but not all

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

The only unusual activity Pig (my baby RES) is doing is opening and closing his mouth a lot (as if he's pretending to talk). He doesn't open his mouth wide, just a little tiny bit and closes it right away. I'm not sure if it's a habit, or he's just irritated from skin shedding, or if it's something to be concerned about. He's pretty active swimming around the tank like usual, i put in a new fake vine plant for him and he seems to like it (he hangs on it and relaxes..we call it his hammock) and he basks usually when were not in the room (he dives back in as soon as he sees us). He's eating normally (We named him Pig because he eats a lot). Is there anything I should check or be worried about?

Thanks!!

[octpusgirl8]

Is he doing the mouth opening thing under water or when he's basking? If he's doing it under water, it's nothign to worry about. If he's doing it while out of the water it could indicate RI.

[mikee]

germ-can -- If you have the water temp at 80 degrees I would lower just a little to 78 degrees. Put you basking temp. at 90 to 91 degrees. They like the difference. What is your gph that the filter is putting out? You need about a 5 time per hour turn over or exchange of the water. If the mouth open thing has been an on going thing I would suggest the it is just him. The other thing to look out for is, if his nose is stopped up he is having to breath out of his mouth.

[megcornell]

Given the open mouth breathing, I'd have to disagree with Mikee. Keep the water temp at 80 as it helps to boost their immune system a little. The gaping can be a sign of a respiratory infection which is a pretty serious ailment for a little turtle so keep your eye out for other symptoms like any mucus discharge, lethargy, loss of appetite... and any changes in behavior overall.

Your set up sounds great, good work with it. The only suggestion I have is to cut the shrimp out of his diet. It's not very nutritious and such a protein rich source can lead to shell issues like pyamiding. Shrimp is fine for an occasional snack but it shouldn't be a staple part of any turtle diet.

[germanrican]

He's doing it under water, while he's looking at me.

I had another baby RES. I think it was his sibling. (I bought these guys at a 99 cent store. I figured if I didn't buy them, some kid would buy them and not give them the care they need.) Anyway... his sibling died of RI, so I know the extremely sad symptoms first hand.

Pig isn't showing any of the same symptoms, he's acting completely normal except him opening and closing his mouth like he's talking to me under water. I didn't know if it was some sign of bacteria, or just a habit of his, or his being irritated with his skin shedding. Sometimes he'll wipe his chin on the rock to scratch off the shedding skin.

Oooh, and with the tank 1/4 filled, i figure there's about 10-12 gallons of water in the tank. The filter is supposed to handle up to 30 gallons I think. I plan on investing on a good canister filter at a future date, but being a broke student just starting my new semester, and just shelling out $400 for all the lighting, new tank, heater, food, etc. money's kind of scarce and canister filters are pretty expensive. I did buy a Python though, to drain and replace the water. I do it about every 1.5-2 weeks (along with a filter replacement). I try to do it on really sunny days because my heater takes a long time to warm up the water, and I put Pig in a little container in side the house in direct sunlight to bask and keep warm.

I'm so glad I got some responses from you guys, I've learned so much from this website.
Thanks!!!

[megcornell]

Glad you've found some good info on here for Pig... that's a cute name (and fitting for most turtles )
If the open mouth breathing is just underwater then that's perfectly normal. Some turtles do it often and others don't.
Since pig is still so small you could probably add a little more water to the tank and not strain the filter too much.

[Cramer]

Yeah, if he's just pumping his mouth open and close underwater that's okay. That's how they smell underwater. They draw/suck water in through their nose and it passes it's odor receptors and is pushed back out through the mouth. They do it on land too, except they don't need to open their mouth; you'll just see their neck fill up like a balloon.