General Care Discussion :: shilo is acting wierd

[grandmadoes]

Please help. I dont understand what is going on with Shilo. He acts like he cant swim but his legs and arms move fine? He gets in the end of the tank and swims for all he's got, he isn't eating, he was very lathargic this mornig. I have increased the warmth with another light. His eyes look a little buggy? I don't know what to do? I have had Shilo abut 2 years, he is in a 20 long, his shell is georgus , the food sticks are brand new, but he is always clawing at the corners and standing up with his head out? Is he ok and I am the crazy one? Thanks

[scottpkura]

ooh that doesn't sound good. That sounds like RI. are you using a water heater and is it set properly?

[SpotsMama]

Here are the symptoms of respiratory infection (RI):

Lethargy
Poor to no appetite
Swollen or irritated eyes
Mucus around the mouth or nose
Breathing with the mouth open or frequent yawning
Difficulty submerging or swimming lopsided

A turtle doesn't have to show all these symptoms in the early stages, but if there are two or three, you should probably get him to the vet's. If it turns out to be nothing, then great, but if it is RI, then the quicker you start treatments the better.

Clawing at the corners and flailing about in the water sound pretty normal.

How long has it been since he stopped eating?

[grandmadoes]

I am not 100% sure but I think it's been a few days? I haven't seen any poop in the tank either. I am gently wetting his shell. I am so worried. Swimming into corners is normal?

[SpotsMama]

well, since I haven't seen what you're seeing, it's hard to say if he's behaving normally, but my turtle does claw at corners sometimes and there's nothing wrong with him.

I'd say if he's doing things he hasn't done before, or something about him seems odd to you, then you should probably be concerned. You know him pretty well after two years. I usually trust people's instincts in situations like yours.

[grandmadoes]

After he is out of the water on his platform under the lamp he seems to improve.....He is so special to me. I feel so helpless and I have no vets open at this time of day to take him to I thought I read that if you warm his water and basking area up it will help his immune system? Is this true and how long can he stay out of the water?

[SpotsMama]

It's true that slightly warmer than normal temps will stimulate his immune system.

A turtle can stay out of the water for a long time. Mine will normally bask most of the day every day. When he had a shell problem I'd leave him in his dry dock container all day and night except for a couple of hours a day to eat and drink and he did fine Some turtles have gotten lost for days without water and have made it, though usually in weakened condition.

Note: dry dock won't hurt a healthy turtle but it is stressful, and you don't want to put a turtle in dry dock unless there's a specific reason to do so, like treating a shell infection. Don't need to dry dock to treat RI but if your turtle wants to bask under a warm light, then by all means let him. Dry dock is where the turtle is forced to stay dry and can't get in the water even when he wants to.

By the way, your turt will probably be ok for tonight without seeing the vet. If I understand your posts, he isn't terribly ill yet. Just get him in as soon as you can.

[grandmadoes]

Thank you so much. I will let you know how he does tomorrow. This site has been such a blessing to us for the care for Shilo.

[theartbook35]

I agree with Spotsmama, I trust your instincts a lot. When ANY animal refuses food, it's usually a sign of illness.

I gotta say though, are you 100% sure Shilo is a male? Because gravid females do refuse food sometimes.

I'm not trying say it definitely is not a respiratory infection, but I want to be able to weigh all the options, just in case.

Do you have a clear picture of Shilo?

The swimming thing worries me. This doesn't sound like Shilo's first rodeo, and I expect a 2 year old turtle to be able to submerge and float extremely well. The lethargy suggests RI to me, too.

When was the last time you cleaned the tank?

[grandmadoes]

I thought Shilo was a guy? How do yu tell?I dont have a photo that I can put on the site( i am somewhat challenged) I cleaned the tanklast night. I let Shilo play in the empty tub while I syphone the tank, then he goes into a small tank while i clean out his tank in the shower and then I refill his tank ...am I doing something wrong? He is in the water now, but he keeps getting up on the side and sticking out his head from the water? I have removed 1/2 of the water and lowerd the dock- he doesn't seem to be able to get up on it? Thanks for you thoughts.

[SpotsMama]

Males have very long front toenails. Females front toenails are about as long as their back toenails. That's the easiest way to tell. Here's some more info on the subject and some photos:

http://www.redearslider.com/determining_sex.html

How big is Shilo? Can you tell us in inches of length? Measure his shell length from front to back without taking into account the curve in his shell, like in the photo on the link above. A female usually isn't mature enough to be gravid at two years old but it can happen.

[grandmadoes]

Shilo measures 6 1/2" and now that I looked at the anatomy pics- I think he might be a she?! So today Shilo is doing 100% better, swimming and hanging out like he/she use to. I went on line to the Herp society of UGA and they put me in touch with 3 Herp specialists. I am waiting for their emails. But I still can't get Shilo to eat and unless he is living on poop (omg) so I am still worried. I don't have any pics of my baby, maybe i can try to email from the phone??

[SpotsMama]

At 6 1/2 inches, and probably a girl, it is possible she's gravid. Here's a link on the subject of egg laying. The main symptoms of being gravid are frantically trying to get out of the tank and loss of appetite. If she's gravid, she'll need your help right away.

http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

Some of the symptoms you described (swollen eyes and lethargy part of the time) aren't characteristic of being gravid. I'd definitely keep that appointment and get a good opinion as to what's really going on.

On the eating, could be that Shiloh's just gotten tired of her pellets. Try offering a different brand. Most turtles love the Reptomin sticks. And how does she do with veggies? If she's still refusing food, you can try soaking the pellets in tuna water.

On gender, the male characteristics of a RES, especially the long front toenails, are pretty striking. If you're not seeing male traits, then Shiloh is probably female because she's plenty long enough to have matured.

[grandmadoes]

I can't thank you all enough for your information. I am going tonight to get her a nesting box and see if that helps. I'll let you know what happens,

[ninjasnake1]

That happened to my turtle and i put less water and then it was fine