General Care Discussion :: help ! Heavy breathing

[aeo]

Help. My baby RES has problem:
- Her eyes are swell up
- She dose not eat
- Breath too heavily that cause noise.
The 2 bigger RES are normal. I dont know why my baby RES get ill. What can I do now. Please help. Thanks
PS: water temp is ~ 27 C degree, basking area temp is 5-7 higher.

[megcornell]

Aeo- is the smaller turtle in the same enclosure as the larger ones? If so, you'll want to separate her, so that she doesn't infect the other two and also so the other ones don't bother her as she's already under enough stress.
When she's breathing heavily is her mouth open?
Do you have a UVB light? And if so, how close is it to the basking area?

Also, it helps if you answer the following:
How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

Have you read the Basic Care section?
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[aeo]

I answer one by one
Aeo- is the smaller turtle in the same enclosure as the larger ones? - Yes
I seperated her
When she's breathing heavily is her mouth open? - Yes
Do you have a UVB light? - No, sun light can reach directly to the basking area. I'm in Vietnam so there's much sunlight

Also, it helps if you answer the following:
How big is your turtle? - shell length is about 5-6cm
How long have you had it? - 2 weeks
What is the water temperature? - 25-28 C degree
Are you using a water heater? - Nope, Vietnam is already hot enough
How much water is in there? - 6" depth
Are you using a water conditioner? - No
Are you using any filtration? - Yes. And it works very well. 4 months no tank cleaning but the water is crystal clear. I change 20% per week.

What is the basking temperature? - 30-33 C degree
Is there a basking light? - No
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? - Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? - It is a big rock
Is there a UVB light? - No ( already answer above )

What have you been trying to feed it? - 2 days after I had it. I feed it lecttuce, small feeder fish,... in seperate tank
When was the last time your turtle ate? - it's not eaten since I had it.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? - 1.2m x 0.5m x 0.5m ( big enough I think )
Is the tank near a window? - Yes. So that basking area can have sunlight directly.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? - No, from 6AM to 7PM there's no one. From 7pm, I use my PC

Have you read the Basic Care section? - Yes. My 2 bigger RES are so healthy
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? - No but I'll when I have time ( in weekend )

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?[/quote] - It sleeps too much, no eat, open mouth regularly, make noise when breathing, eye swell up.

[grey goose]

It sounds like RI (respertory infection). Is there a vet nearby that you could bring him to? He'll need antibiotics.

[SpotsMama]

I think your little one is ill. There are several possibilities but one is respiratory infection (RI). Whatever is causing the problem, your turtle probably had it before you got it and it's just slowly been getting worse. It's not anything wrong that you did.

Aeo, do you have access to a good veterinarian? Things like this are difficult to treat without a vet's help.

One thing you need to do is get him eating if you can. Try offering him something really tasty like a shrimp or a fresh live earthworm. At this point he needs some calories.

He needs to stay warm (around 80 to 82 degrees), his water needs to be very clean, and you need to avoid stressing him as much as possible. Don't pick him up, for instance, unless you really need to because this causes stress.

Good look. We'll be pulling for you and your little turtle. Let us know how it goes.

[megcornell]

That sounds like a respiratory infection. Its good you separated her as those can be contagious. You should keep her warm and try to get her to eat as Spotsmama said. Hopefully there's a vet around that can prescribe some antibiotics as RI's really require them to get better.
Good luck.

[aeo]

I think your little one is ill. There are several possibilities but one is respiratory infection (RI). Whatever is causing the problem, your turtle probably had it before you got it and it's just slowly been getting worse. It's not anything wrong that you did.

Aeo, do you have access to a good veterinarian? Things like this are difficult to treat without a vet's help.

One thing you need to do is get him eating if you can. Try offering him something really tasty like a shrimp or a fresh live earthworm. At this point he needs some calories.

He needs to stay warm (around 80 to 82 degrees), his water needs to be very clean, and you need to avoid stressing him as much as possible. Don't pick him up, for instance, unless you really need to because this causes stress.

Good look. We'll be pulling for you and your little turtle. Let us know how it goes.

So I did nothing wrong ? But please tell me what causes respiratory infection ?
- So bad that there's no vet for turtule & tortoise in Vietnam. Reptile is not popular here. When a RES got ill. The cures are:
1. Increase the salt in the water and wait
2. Use the antibiotic ( which is for human use )
3. Get a new one
That's it.
I will do as you told me. Hope it can eat and get better.

[megcornell]

Any number of things can cause an RI. Hatchlings are usually kept in very poor conditions before they're sold so it's easy for them to catch one. Something as simple as too cool a water temp can cause an RI, that's the most common cause. Also, exposure to drafts or some sort of high stress situation can cause them.

My turtle had an RI a few months ago, I'm not sure what caused it, her water was always 78 degrees, and she had ample basking temperature and basked frequently, sometimes it's just a mystery as to what causes them.

As there are no vets around, your best shot is to keep her warm and feed her so she has the strength to fight off the illness. That will be tough to do without antibiotics, but hopefully she'll pull through

Human antibiotics aren't recommended because the dosages and side effects are so tricky with turtles weighing mere grams-- there's a better chance of doing more harm than good with this technique.

[aeo]

I think it was kept in bad condition before be sold.
Will do as you say. Hope she can pull through.