General Care Discussion :: Very stressed turtles -- almost died?

[mrspabs]

I have 2 red ear sliders. They are around 6 years old (5 inches long). They share a 60+ gallon tank and have been happy for years.

I recently moved and my turtles had a rough time in the move. First, I had to put them in a box and carry them on a long car trip. Then, when we got to our home, they stayed in buckets while we got the tank fixed up. When I went to transfer them from the bucket to the tank, one of them dropped on the floor! It was at least a 3 or 4 foot drop to a wood floor. The shell was undamaged and the turtle seemed ok.

The thermometer was lost in the move, so I just guessed at the temperature. Well, it turns out that the water at the bottom of my tank, where I cannot reach, is WAY colder than the top of the tank. So I put the turtles in, after dropping one, and then I notice that one is swimming at the top and the other one is... lying BELLY UP at the bottom of the tank.

My husband quickly reached in to grab it and the turtle revived once it hit the warmer air.

We removed both turtles and put them in the bath in some warmed water. I had to go out and buy a water heater (my old home was much warmer, never needed one) and the turtles lived in the bathtub for 24 hours while the water warmed to 75 degrees.

They are now in the tank, with their warm water, uvb lamp, basking platforms, basking light. I have not yet fed them.

Any insights on why my turtle was lying on the floor of the tank would be appreciated as well as advice on getting them happy again.

Thanks!

[Sammonkie]

Hi. I dropped my turtle too before but that was when it was lighter. Even though there is no apparent damage to your turtle, please keep an eye on it for a few days to see if it's acting alike with the other one(can't compare to the 'normal' behavior since they just moved to a new environment. In terms of food, I guess maybe you want to give them a little treat to distract them from the distress from the new place and make sure that they have enough storage for the now colder temperature? I am sure that your turtles will do just fine. Happy moving and good luck.

[SpotsMama]

Just keep an eye on your turtle, make sure he/she eats normally and is as active as usual. He/she may have been, like you suggest, stressed by first being dropped then by getting chilled. When turtles get too cold they get lethargic, so that would make sense in the cold water.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Your turtle was lying on the bottom of the tank because the shock of hitting too cold of water. Imagine what would happen if you were dropped into freezing water. You would splash around a bit to get free and then your body would go into a coma-like state. You only get the benefit of the splashing around because you are warm blooded. A cold blooded animal's body would instantly freeze and go into the coma-like state. It's good that your husband could get them out quickly!

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Yeah,I agree w/ everyone.Definately keep an eye on them.