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Hi guys,

I am a relativley new RES owner, and I have a question I hope y'all can help me with. About 2 months ago I bought two RES off a street corner. I know, not the best conditions, but I wanted turtles for my science lab, and there are no pet stores in my town. Anyways, they were both little hatchlings, about 2 inches long. They seemed to be doing fine, eating etc... On Tuesday, when I got back to school I noticed I had an algae bloom in my tank. I completly emptied the tank, wiped it down, refilled it with water, and put the turtles back in. Yesterday, I noticed that DJ (the smaller of the two turtles) was acting very lethargic. I increased his basking temperature, and made plans to take him to the vet today. When I got back to school this morning, he hadn't moved, was all tucked up in his shell. I think he died over night. So, now I am worried about Knuckles. He seems ok, still active, still eating, and swimming, but then I thought DJ was acting normal up until the day before he died. Should I go ahead and take Knuckles to the vet? Our vet here in town is a cat/dog/horse vet, so I don't know how much he will know about turtles, but I figure he has got to know more than I do. What do you guys think? Sorry this has been such a long post. Any help given will be greatly appreciated.

Jennifer

jen-se It is not uncommon to purchase these turtles from a street vendor and they do not survive. The vendor, in most cases, do not know how to take care of them. They may not want to as it is a money maker. Most die from RI. I would suggest that you take him/her to the vet. What ever you do keep it warm at all times. Hot, cold, hot cold is not good for them. When your turtle gets setteled you will want to stick to the rules of the road for turtle care. Good Luck! m.

Yeah, I thought they were doing ok. I have them in a large tank, with a water heater, basking light, filter... The water temp is about 78 degrees. I guess my main worry is do I need to take the surviving turtle to the vet, even though he currently seems healthy?

Jennifer

Jenn-se - The vet visit is up to you. You may want to wait until you see the first sign of sickness. Lethargy is usually the first sign along with loss of appetite. If it were my turtle I would raise the water temp to 80 degrees for about a week and watch his appetite. Your basking temp should be 90 to 91 degrees with uvb lighting. Good Luck! m.

Thanks for all the help.

Jenn