General Care Discussion :: water

[Tris]

yeah i know oh one but i dont know if they deal with turtles, so ill give them a call and ask

[Tris]

yeah both places that are open 24/7 do not deal with Turtles, so i bumped him up to 82 and ill take him outside tomorrow for the sunlight and hopefully he could stick it out till i could call someone on weds or even thurs because of the holiday.


does anyone have any suggestions on what i shoukd do till i can get him to a vet, other then putting his tank on 82? i just want to make sure im doing everything that i can until a vet is avail to see him.

[sonyj]

There's not a whole lot you can do without getting the antibiotics/medicine from the vet, I don't think, besides bumping the temp up and keeping him out of drafts. Be careful transporting him outside/inside between two different climates. It could cause it to progress faster if the temps are very different. There's a sticky under the Urgent Care section on how to find a Herp Vet in your area. You might want to give it a look.

Good luck and keep us posted on the little guy.

[Tris]

Okau will do- thanks alot!

[missibsu]

I wouldn't recommend taking them outside if he's sick. Not only could the difference in temps affect him, but the stress of being moved back and forth isn't good for him either.

[Tris]

Okay i wont move him. ill just leave him in his tank and continue to offer food.i just hope he sticks it out. if he doesnt then atleast i tried.

[sarah]

I put my turtle in with a lot of water and just made sure there were places she could "rest" until she got use to it.

[steve]

Hi Tris, how long have you had him and has he been eating? If so, when was the last time? Are there any other symptoms that he seems to have?

[Tris]

Ive had him for a little over a week now, he is eating i just fed him like 2 mins ago , he was floating uneven but he isnt anymore. he staying in his basking area alot but he does go in the water, im not sure if he was doing that becasue i changed the tank yesterday and the water wasnt warm enough yet cuz hes in the water now.

[marisa]

Tris, you say you've had your turtle for a little over a week, and he's eating. You say he was floating unevenly for a while (but this was once and not prolonged?), but that's he's not doing that any more.

You said the water wasn't warm enough when you changed it and put in fresh water (it would be good to add fresh water that was nearer to the temp the water should be, not just add cool/cold water) but that now you have it at 82F. What is the temp of the basking area?

You don't mention any other symptoms, just the inability to submerge when the water depth was increased (which was where a problem seemed to occur) and a temporary tilt in the water. Since he's eating and not showing any other symptoms (from what you said), it may be he was just adjusting to the new water level (don't know how much you added, though). If there are no other symptoms, I would keep a sharp eye out for any just in case.

If he's in a room with AC, however, I would move him, or at the very least keep him away from vents/drafts/breezes. AC can cause problems, especially for hatchlings...

A thread that goes from a question about water level to a turtle seemingly being near death's door????????

[Tris]

Well, i had him alittle over a week YES, i asked a couple question to people on here and got him a heater because i didnt know he needed one in the summer so he started to eat.

He was floating un evenly but i didnt notice that he was doing it anymore, he was floating fine.

I didnt know he could have more water in his tank, i thought you had to keep it as deep as his shell is in length. so when i put more water in it he couldnt swim down, he tried and popped right back up. (hence the question about the water)

So this is when i realized he was sick and a heater wasnt all he needed.

So i callled Vets and the 24/7 ones dont deal with turtles, there are two in my town. everyone else is closed for 4th of july till weds.
so since i couldnt really do anything i bumped his tank to 82 (i had it on 80-81)and thats about all i could do other then not moving him and still feeding him until i could call around on weds to have him seen.

So yesterday i noticed one of his eyes were swollen, like someone had asked me earlier and they werent at the time, it wasnt red just swollen

But he was already sick, if you read the post i asked about the water levels and then filled his tank up and realized he couldnt swim down. so yeah it was just a water question and ended up to be more then that.

the room has no a/c hes in my room where i keep the door shut alot because i work from my room. i did have him by the window because of the sun but someone told me that doesnt help and to take him away from that, and i did do that immd. he;s next to a wall where there are no drafts and hes on my dresser so hes not close to the floor.

I dont know if hes going to make it till weds where i could take him to a vet, i dont know who deals with turtles, i brought my painted to one of the 24/7 clincs a long time ago just for a check up because he had never been and i wanted to make sure everything was good. and they dont take turtles anymore because thats the 1st place i called. He still cant submerge, hes still eating but not alot and his left eye is swollen. im doing all i could do for this little guy, but there had to be somthing wrong with him when i got him, and i didnt realize how bad it was till now.

[steve]

It's good that he is eating and I'll continue to monitor for other symptoms or check if the symptoms get worse. Keep the temps around 82 and the basking area around 92. Is he basking? Are you using thermometers to monitor the temperatures? For the eye, try cod liver oil (apply over the swollen eyelid with a Q-tip) or try the Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops. If you need help looking for a vet, there are links to lists in the Urgent Care section.

[marisa]

Has he seen a vet yet?