General Care Discussion :: sick hatchling

[tgardner]

my hatchling was lost for about 2 weeks he is kinda sick now what should i do

[SpotsMama]

How large is he? Can you tell us the circumstances of his being lost? How can you tell he's sick?

[tgardner]

he is about 1.5in my dog knocked his tank over and i couldnt find him for like 2 weeks and he showed up in the middle of the floor yesterday and he wont eat or really move around too much

[SpotsMama]

He's probably dehydrated and starving. Have you soaked him in some water? Get some pedialyte from the drug store (its a drink for sick babies) and soak him in a mixture of 1/2 pedialyte and 1/2 water for around 30 minutes a day. Have the temperature of the mixture at around 82 degrees. Trying offering him some food while he's soaking. You can offer him things you'd normally only offer for treats like shrimp and tuna fish.

It's also possible he was injured in the accident. Can you see any injuries? watch to see if he has difficulty moving any of his limbs, difficulty retracting his head into his shell, bleeding from the mouth or cloaca, or other signs of internal or external injuries.

Keep him warm - 82 degrees. If he has trouble swimming keep the water shallow. Avoid stressing him - don't pick him up unless it's necessary and keep the room quiet. Keep him very clean. Keep trying to get him to eat.

If he doesn't perk up by tomorrow, then it's time to see the vet. Do you know a good herp vet - one that knows about reptiles?

I assume you've taken care now that the dog can't knock over the aquarium again?

Good luck. I'll be thinking of you and your turtle. Keep us posted on how it goes.

[tgardner]

he ate a little bit of tuna and im going to try the pedialite today tthanks

[tgardner]

im very scared pokey is going to die, but he is swimming around normally yet he still wont eat.what can i do? should i keep him in his tank {10gal w 20 gal filter and uva/uvb lights and about4 incfhes of water}or put him in a smaller tank to watch him closer?Icant afford to take him to a vet right now please help i love my little guy.

[megcornell]

You posted earlier that he ate some tuna, so that's good.
Keep him in the tank, the hydration is good for him.
Do you have a water heater? You'll need one if you don't have one. Once you buy one boost the water temp to 80-82F to help stimulate his appetite and his immune system.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Glad you found him! Keep him in water & get a water heater, as Meg said. Make sure you get a thermometer too so you can check what the temp of the water is.

[tgardner]

Pokey has started to move around a lot,but he wont eat.He ate a little tuna one dayu, but has not eaten in the last 3or4 days.What can i do?

[megcornell]

What is the water temp? If it's too cool he won't eat. It should be 75-78 degrees, in fact you can even boost it a little since he was out of the tank for so long his immune system may need the extra help.

No appetite is a sign of illness, keep trying to get him to eat- even if it's tuna for now, any nutrients are better than no nutrients. And if he doesn't start eating soon or shows other symptoms such as lethargy I'd contact a herp vet.