General Care Discussion :: I think there's something wrong with my turtle

[Chuibby]

Okay here's the thing. My 4-5 month old turtle, Poky, isn't really eating for the past 4-5 days. He's in a 60 gallon tank with 2 other turtles(Moky and Choky) who are younger by a month. When I put food in the tank, Moky and Choky run for the food but Poky goes slowly to the food and tries to eat it. In the past, he was fully able to swallow the pellets in one gulp but now, it's almost as if he's lazy. Now, he tries to eat it but he can't and then he gives up. I try feeding by hand but it doesn't work, he completely ignores the food. He's usually on the basking area and doesn't really budge when I come in, unlike Moky and Choky who immediately jump off once they see me.

So... what could be the problem? It's almost winter time and I don't want anything going wrong. Oh yeah, Poky likes to sleep alot.

[SpotsMama]

I think you are right to worry about Poky. Two of the primary symptoms of turtle illness are lethargy (sleeping a lot and relatively inactive) and poor appetite. If he were mine, I'd get him to a good herp vet right away. It might simply been him reacting to the change in seasons but the symptoms you describe really do sound more like illness.

By the way, if he has a respiratory infection, it's contageous and you need to watch out for the other two turtles as they might catch it. In fact, it would be best if you could separate Poky from them for awhile until you know for sure what's going on.

Until you can get him to see a vet, keep him warm (water temp 80 to 82 degrees), very clean and avoid stressing him (don't pick him up unless you have to). If he stops eating pellets all together, you can offer him special treats like tuna in water or boiled shrimp, just to keep him eating.

Good luck. I hope it's nothing serious, but if it is, the sooner you get him to a vet for treatment the better. His chances are much better if he's treated early on.

[Chuibby]

I see... it's gonna be hard finding a good vet who is experienced with turtles where I live. But how do I know if he has a respiratory infection?

[SpotsMama]

There are a number of symptoms of RI but a turtle won't necessarily show all of them, especially if it's in the early stages. The typical list of symptoms includes lethargy, poor or no appetite, lots of yawning or breathing with the mouth open, difficulty submerging or swimming lopsided, swolllen or irritated eyes, mucus around the mouth or nose.

Another caution, sometimes a turtle with RI seems to get better but then relapses.

Finally, although RI is by far the most common turtle illness, there are other things like digestive tract illness that can affect a turtle. RI covers a range of illnesses from a cold to pneumonia.

[Chuibby]

Hmm... He's eating again but very little. It seems that he is actually "chewing" his pellets instead of swallowing. Is his chewing another symptom of another illness?

[megcornell]

What are the temps of your water and your basking area?

To me, it sounds more like he's stressed than sick, although stress does lead to illness in turtles. It sounds like he's getting the short end of the stick in the tank and isn't putting up a fight about it anymore. I think it might be time to consider separating the turtles. Three turtles in a 60 gallon isn't a lot of room, and it doesn't sound like poky is dominant so he's likely not getting his share of food and basking room.

[Chuibby]

I'm not sure of the temp of the water(trying to find the device which finds the temp) but all three turtles fit on the basking area. They usually are one on top of the other under the light. Poky used to be the big eater and used to be very dominant(and he has the nicest shell of all) but has suddenly "retired" from being what he originally was. I guess I'll put him in another tank just to see if there are any improvements.