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I 've been thinking about taking Turtley to the vet for a general checkup and a parasite test. For those of you who don't recall, Turtley came to me after being in the posession of a series of individuals who did not treat him well. As a result, his shell is kinda wierd (wrinkly almost, but hard) and i think he's awfully small for his age (he's 6 or 7 years old and his SCL is 5 inches). He's getting proper care now that he's mine, and he's very healthy and active (and hungry!), but i was just thinking that it might be a good idea to have him looked at just in case. The parasite thing worries me especially, he came from terrible conditions to begin with and he's eaten his share of feeder fish. I'm just not quite sure if it would be worth the stress on him. Any thoughts? Oh, here's a picture that shows the shell wierdness:


Thanks guys

He seems fine, though a little battle scared from his dark past but atleast hes getting the proper care that he needs and deserves, hes one tough turtle for living through all that!

I'd say a vet visit would be alright, some might disagree because its too much stress on the turtle and he is not sick or whatnot, but others suggest having a general check up atleast every 6 months...if I was in your position id go for it, especially if it will take weight off of your shoulder having him declared healthy.

I say take him to the vet. I think a yearly checkup is a good idea for the turtle, particularly if he's had a traumatic past. RES are notoriously good at hiding symptoms of illness, and a check up can ID a problem before it's really bad. It's sort of the same theory as people seeing the doctor for a yearly check up. Generally there isn't anything wrong, but if there is, it gets caught early.

The best way to avoid them getting parasites from guppies, etc is to kill the guppies (the most humane way to do it is to empty the water from the bag they come in and fill it with very hot water. The temperature shock kills them instantly and painlessly) then freeze them for a couple of days, thaw them and then feed them to the turts... By then any bacteria or parasite will be toast (or popsicled if you will)

That's what the vet told me to do.

Well about the feeder fish, the whole point to having them is that they can live in there so that if my turtle gets really hungry while i'm away for a few days he has a little "emergency stash".
I know turtles can be good at hiding sickness, and he's a tough little turtle! He lived for over 4 years (his baby years no less) with no basking light at all, or a heater for that matter! So i think i'll start calling around soon and trying to find a good vet. Anybody here in Maryland have a vet to recommend? Southern PA or nothern VA would be fine too if they're a really great vet.

Well that would account for his small size and wrinkly shell appearance, not having any UV and probably not enough calcium during his major growing years. You've probably corrected all those problems as much as can be at this point. There's probably not a whole lot that the vet can do to correct his poor growth from before. He can detect parasites by checking a fecal sample. If it makes you feel better to bring Turtley in to the vet then it's a good idea to have him looked at. It can't hurt any as long as you can do it without stressing him out too much. Otherwise, a stool sample and a description of his earlier situation would probably be the main thing you'd want to provide the vet. He's a very nice looking turtle even after what he went through!

Dido to to everything up above. I love the long tail!!

Turtley is looking good - he seems to enjoy basking under the light! If it were me I'd take him to a vet and get him checked for parasites. I don't think the stress would be too much for him. I know you'll transport him carefully and it will be much better for him if he does have parasites to get him treated.

Hmmm i never thought about bringing in a stool sample and leaving the turtle at home. That might cost less too. Something to ask about when i'm calling around i suppose. Thanks for all your input guys, i really appreciate it!

Getting to know your vet is another issue. You might find that you don't like this person and may not want to use them in the event that you do need veterinary services.

Tests of any kind are likely to incur fees, so unless you suspect something, you might want to skip it.

maybe this page will be helpful:
www.redearslider.com/choose_vet.html