General Care Discussion

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:03 pm **opening mouth**

my turtle is keep opening his mouth. 2 weeks ago he stopped moving his left leg. I took him to the vet. Then I got everything they told me to. Now his leg is fine. He swam for the first two days. Now he just floats. Today he kept opening his mouth. He doesn't want to eat anything but pellets. What should I do??
Please help.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:15 pm

Is he opening his mouth out of the water or in the water? I am pretty sure in the water is normal since my turtles all do that and they aren't sick. When they open their mouths a lot out of water then that is a sign of RI and they need to go to the vet ASAP.
What is your water temperature, basking temperature, does turt have UVB? Adequate basking area?

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:30 pm

Now he's opening his mouth in and out of water. He's sleeping right now and slightly opening his mouth while breathing.
I have a 30 in long tank, with a UVB lamp and a basking dock.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:20 am

How long have you had the turtle? Is this a new symptom? Any other symptoms?

What did your vet tell you?

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:41 am

what about a heater! thats probly the reason why it has ri!

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:14 am

You need a water heater and a heat lamp as well. The turtle definitely does not sound right and should be taken to a vet that knows what they are doing.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:07 am

RI is fatal without antibiotics from a qualified herp vet. It's definitely time to make an appointment & tell the vet everything you told us.

In the meantime, invest in a water heater & thermometer so you can make sure the water temp is correct (78 degrees F). If your turtle does have RI, you can turn up the temp to 82, just till he feels better (the extra heat will help his immune system). But a heater alone will NOT get rid of RI because RI is a bacterial infection.

Good luck & let us know how you make out.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:11 pm

I took Snappy today to a reptile specialist. He said snappy has calcium deficineny. And he stopped opening his mouth now, so the guy thinks he was only sweating at the time. Since he is eating regularly, it's probably not RI. He said to keep snappy under the UVB light and he will heal with time.

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:40 am

Did you get a water heater and a heat lamp? Without those your turtle will get sick and not live very long.

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:15 pm

If he's calcium deficient, go get some cuttlebone. It will help him get his needed calcium. And then you need the UVB light to convert the calcium to vitamin D. And the water heater and basking lamp is needed to regulate his internal temps.

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 1:54 pm

An-tui -- Heat, heat. Your water needs to be around 80 to 81 while he is recovering and the basking temp. should be at 90 and 91 degrees with uvb. Heat!

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:38 pm

What did the reptile specialist specfically suggest for the calcium deficiency? (The UVB light is necessary, but did the specialist also suggest increasing the calcium in the diet, and if so, with what?)

Did the reptile specialist mean that your turtle was over heating (I'm not aware that they sweat by breathing through their mouths)?

General Care Discussion :: opening mouth

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