General Care Discussion :: My stepmoms turtle is sick!

[Eeyore]

Hi. my stepmom got a new baby turtle not very long ago and it is getting sick! His name is Nicodemus and he is a red ear slider turtle and instead of swimming around he sits under his lamp.
my stepmom thinks that it is because of the new frogs that we got because he was fine before we got them. she also thinks that it is the frogs because one of them died not long after we got them. she was looking on the internet for some information and saw that it might be pneumonia. if anybody knows anything about why he is sick please tell me!!!!!!!!!

[RESnTX]

You put frogs in with the baby turtle? What kind were they? Some are poisonous if eaten.

[Bumby's Mom]

You shouldn't be putting frogs in with turtles. Like RenTX said, some are posinous if eaten. If you think the turtle has pneumonia then it needs to see a vet or it will die.

[Turtle_Power]

Well, It could be a sign of RI or they could think the water is fouled. We added a few african dwarf frogs to the tank, and the turts would not even go in the water, except for like 10 mins. After we removed them, then they went into the water. I thought they thought dirty water, but IDK...

[TheComputerGremlin]

Eeyore, you need to provide more info. Your statement that all it does is sit under its lamp could mean nothing (because turtles like to bask) or a lot (that he's sick). Can you answer the questions under the sticky in the Urgent Care section and give more description about the turtle. Is it eating fine? Is it breathing with its mouth open?

[steve]

What are the water/basking temperatures?

Here is some basic care info:
www.redearslider.com/hatchling_tips.html
www.redearslider.com/startup.html

[Eeyore]

Hey. Thank you so much for all of you replying. I found a spare 2.5 gallon tank in my room and we moved the frog into it. I guess Nicademus is getting better now because he is now swimming around like normal. Just to answer some questions for TheComputerGremlin, he wasn't eating at all when he was sick. The temperature was where it was supposed to be, and he was occasionally breathing with his mouth open. And to answer RESnTX, when we went to the pet store, we asked if it would be ok to put them in with Nic and they said it would be fine. I guess they were wrong. And one more thing, What is RI

[octpusgirl8]

RI stands for respiratory infection. In the future, don't go to pet stores for advice, 99% of them don't know what they're talking about.

[Nettle]

RI is a respiratory infection. Breathing with his mouth open is a sure sign. The only way to cure it is to take him to a vet, where he'll get antibiotics. If not, RI is almost always fatal.

P.S. Pet store places are always wrong. They're just employees and aquatic turtles are a rather niche group. They always try to sell, sell SELL, without any regard to the turtle's actual well-being.

[octpusgirl8]

The odd thing about the pet store misinformation phenomenon is that if they told people about the all the equipment and supplies turtles need, they would make a lot more money!

[Nettle]

I think people are usually put-off when they hear about all of the equipment and maintenance needed. Definitely not an easy pet.

[industrial_girl_2000]

RI stands for respiratory infection. In the future, don't go to pet stores for advice, 99% of them don't know what they're talking about.

Well put. A board like this is extremely helpful in getting you the info you need. Austin's turtle page is another board that specializes in other turtles/tortoises besides Red ear sliders.