Urgent Care :: Turtle Foot Slightly Swollen

[Speedy2010]

Hi, I’m new to this but am looking for advice or just some input. I have a RES I’ve had him since he was the size of a toonie (yes I am Canadian haha) now he is about the size of a small dinner plate maybe a little smaller. I’ve had him for 10 years now. Recently I noticed he has not been using his one arm to swim and it is slightly swollen. He is alone in his tank, and has nothing he could cut himself on, nor do I see a cut. He is still eating but much slower than he was, and is basking much more. He is also tolerating me petting his shell when basking more, which is TOTALLY not normal for him. He’s usually swim away and hiss and snap at me kind of attitude guy. I like in a small rural area and I don’t believe there is a reptile vet to look at him for at least a 2 hour drive. Just wondering if someone has had this happen to their turtle before with the arm swelling and more calm attitude before and what they did or recommend. I’m sure a vet visit is needed just thought I’d ask here first. He’s in a 120 gallon tank with a basking lamp and large dock. With a fluval fx6 filter and Gets fed daily small doses of food to not be over fed. With a healthy diet. He enjoys the human interaction and has always loved feeding time up until recently. Thanks in advance. And sorry if I missed any other important info.

[steve]

It's not a common injury, so yes I think you're right and he should be seen by a vet. By any chance does he also bite his arm? My male RES would often bite things aggressively until I took it out of his tank, so he sometimes bites his arm (usually at night, when the lights are off).

[Speedy2010]

He isn’t biting at his arm luckily, there’s no wounds. I looked closely at it the other day to see if it was a claw issue or something but couldn’t see anything out of the norm other than the slight swelling of his foot. I increased his UV light strength and added some more vitamin and mineral foods. He is still quite calm not as active as usual, but I’ve noticed improvement with the new food and old as well as the increased UV light. I’m Trying to get him to a vet but it’s a few hours drive for me and is usually a whole work days length of a trip, and I sadly don’t have the ability to just stop everything and take him. Wish he could just talk!

[litefoot]

As Steve said , not common. Without more symptom's observed that caused this effect you see could be anything so see a vet. May be an metabolic issue , even edema of some type or an imbalance of some kind since no wounds visible / see a vet. Blood test may find something / for peace of mind. Much better to find the cause and treat the cause than treat an effect one see's.
All you can do without other signs is observe well. Watch it’s #1 and #2 for any change too.
Habitat matters a lot !
When was the last time you tested your UVB light with a UVB meter?
How many microwatts it’s putting out ?
It does not stay the same over time. Some get weaker fast. Not “all” the light you see is usable light , UVB rays are only a small area so a meter is needed.
Checked your thermometer’s accuracy lately. The hand “IR” type are most accurate and some can be re calibrated if needed.

Until you can see a Herp Vet all you can do is make sure the heat range and that the UVB ray’s are usable for your turtle along with a pristine setup.

The heat and UVB ray’s are very important for the digestive system. Used to produce vitamin D , which convert's other nutrients and more to have a healthy digestive system. It's not just for thermoregulation.

One of the first signs of a internal chemical imbalance is the swelling of appendages. Proper heat and UVB rays helps a cold blooded animal keep that under control.

[Speedy2010]

Thanks everyone I saw a vet, but unfortunately My boy speedy has passed. I appreciate all the info and help. Take care!

[steve]

I'm very sorry for your loss. These types of things are very hard to diagnose and catch early. Even then, treatment options are limited. RIP Speedy.

[litefoot]

Sorry for your loss.
The great memories y'all had will last forever .