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Hi, I urgently need advice and help. I have two RES around ~20 years old/5.5 inches.
One of them, Muddy, was fed on Monday night and threw up Tuesday afternoon. He threw up all his food and this morning (Wednesday) he also pooped a lot. He has always had the same feeding regimen (ReptoMin pellets 1X/week). I don’t know what would be the cause of vomiting as I’ve never seen a RES vomit. The pellets are not expired.
Can a RES vomit due to respiratory infection? I also don’t understand why he pooped so much either. Muddy has no RI symptoms other than some days I hear a cough? No open mouth breathing. He basks a lot.

If I were to bring him to a vet, does anyone have recommendations based in Bay Area California? How does a vet check for signs of RI? Thank you for the help. Happy to answer any questions.

Not sure if it's RI, but it's good that there are no other symptoms. It would be a good idea to go for that vet visit, I would suggest asking https://tortoise.org/ for local vets in your area.

An XRay might be able to detect fluid in the lungs for RI, and a blood test might find signs of infection. Has anything like this happen before? Is he kept separate from the other turtle?

Hi Steve, thank you for always helping the community with your expertise. Yes, both of my turtles are kept separate. I remember once they’ve both had lots of poop for a few days. But never seen them throw up. I’m hoping it’s from over-eating. Muddy is on the overweight side in which I am concerned…when he basks he has fat drooping from his side of the leg. But we only feed them 1X/week and I know to feed them how much can fit “inside their head.” Maybe next time I’ll use a measuring spoon to be more consistent. Like 1 teaspoon?
Do you also know how often do RES poop? Appreciate all the help! I’ll look into vets around my area. Do you know the average cost it takes to see a turtle at a vet?

You can also half that amount and spread it out. Also offer some veggies on non-pellet days.

As for how often they poop, it varies based on the turtle. I had one turtle who would poop right away and another its always a guess.

I have no idea about current vet costs. I'd imagine the price has risen since I've last had to use one, and seeing a new vet might have some extra office-related fees tacked onto the first visit.