General Care Discussion :: So I rescued a turtle with some issues

[seanb1979]

I knew before I picked him up he might be a little 'off' but I didn't know how much. I found a turtle on craigslist who was about 6 inches long and in a 15-20 gal tank that was only about 1/5th full of water. As far as I know he spent his entire life there. I transferred him to my 120 gal with my other turtles, and although at first I thought he was just shy, now it's apparent that he can't swim. He doesn't have any concept of diving and keeps his lungs full all the time. He would spend his entire time out of water if I let him. I think that's mostly what he did before.

Anyone have any experience with this? He might never really learn how to swim, I'm guessing. His pre-conditioning has most likely overridden his instincts. When I put him in the water he just kind of floats around, with his head slightly out and his limbs mostly tucked in. I've held him down for a few minutes at a time under water, and he will sort of try and swim up, but he seems to have no idea how to move in the water.

Any tips on what should be done are appreciated.

[seanb1979]

Oops forgot I was in the habitat section. Maybe a mod can move this.

[Love of Animals]

Don't hold him down again. Keep an eye on him to watch for any other signs of illness. He'll learn after a while. Took him a long time to get to a big tank now it's going to take him a while to learn how to use it.

[BiteyBits]

Hiya!

Do you have another tank you could set up for him? Even if it is smaller.

If so, my idea is this:
Slowly acclimate him to deep water, like with a hatchling. Start with a small amount of water, then increase it overtime as he learns how to deal with it. Provide rest areas near the surface, be certain he can't get stuck on his back and drown. If you're very concerned, you can even house him separately in dry dock and just give him a few hours at first in the 'training tank' and increase his time in it as his skill grows. Tough love him, he's going to have trouble but needs to figure it out on his own.

That way he won't get in trouble in your main tank if you are not there to watch him. If he can't swim he also can't defend himself if he gets bullied- I don't know what other turtles you have but it's always a possibility when adding a new one.

Hope that was helpful.

[steve]

How's he doing?

[seanb1979]

He's doing ok but not eating much. He doesn't seem to know how to eat, oddly enough. Just sucks in the water around the pellet. I seriously wonder if he has some severe brain damage? I got his old tank with him but it didnt have much to it. Will need to buy some more gear, although I wanted him to socialize in the other tank. My turtles are friendly and non aggressive. Sometimes they can fight over a bit of food but its typically short lived.

[steve]

It could just take some more time but he should be kept alone during this stage.