General Care Discussion :: Baby RES adjusting to new home?

[LissaPea]

Our friends brought us home two hatchlings from Hilton Head. They spent a few days traveling in a car in a small plastic box with a bit of water. They brought back turtles for themselves 3 years ago and are now quite experienced in turtle care. We also attempted a 4" RES turtle pet last year (from a pet shop) but it died after 4 weeks. Never ate or swam. The turtle expert at the pet place said we were doing everything correctly. We did alot of research too.

So, our new Babies are just basking and sleeping all the time. The have 4 inches of good temp water, and UVA/UVB lightbulb, a bit af sun. They occasionly change position but do not swim or eat. Once in awhile I will set them in the water and they either float there, or scramble to get back to the rock. We've had them just 2 days.

My questions are... How long would I expect them to take to adjust? How long can they go without eating?

[donovanchin]

well, i got my RES about 2 years ago
unlike yours, they straight away started swimming & they did not eat but after about 2days they got hungry and started munching on the pellets.
but my RES could have a different behaviour than yours

[missibsu]

Do you know what the water temp is exactly? It is important not to guestimate. Hatchlings need consistant 78 degree water with a basking area that is 10 degrees warmer. They should also have 10 gallons of swimming space per inch of shell shell length.

Hatchlings are more susceptible to respritory infections and pneumonia, so if extreme care wasn't taken during traveling, or even before they were purchased, then sickness is always a possibility. I wouldn't just to conclusions yet. Just make sure you are providing your new babies with a steady environment.

One more thing I would add...most petstore people are not experts on turtle care, no matter how experienced they may seem, or how convincing they are.

When you mention that they get a little bit of sun, how are they getting the sun? If it's coming through a window and coming through the sides of the tank, this is dangerous. Not only does the glass filter out the UVB, it can cause water temps to spike to high levels.

[LissaPea]

Water temp has been 80 degrees. The basking are is about 82 degrees, I'll move the lamp a bit closer. They are in a small 5 gallon aquarium right now. We have a 20 gallon for them but thought they would be ok in the small one until they got alittle bigger. At this point it doesn't matter because they won't go in the water anyway.

Ths sun is very indirect from a window. It hasn't changed the temperature of the area. We've been monitoring them at minimum every half hour so we are keeping tabs on that.

I don't see any discharge or apparent breathing trouble. What would other signs of sickness be? Should I put them in the water every now and then?

Is there anything you suggest doing at this piont? THANKS!!

[missibsu]

They do need to get wet every now and then to stay hydrated. What happens when you put them in the water? Do they swim, or immediately crawl back up to bask?

Other signs of sickness would be lopsided swimming, not being able to swim straight. That can be an indicator of fluid in the lungs, or coordination problems. Crusty eyes, lathargy, and swollen eyes.

[marisa]

What have you been trying to feed them? For pellets, get some Reptomin Baby. To get them started, try some bloodworms (you can buy frozen cubes of them in petstores like Petsmart--quarter the cubes before putting them in the tank). Also try some live foods like cut-up earthworms.

[LissaPea]

Thanks for all the ideas, we are heading to the pet store tonight for more menu items for "The Babies".

I also took them to the vet today. She gave them a shot of Vitamin A and antibiotics (their eyes were alittle swollen). She said the vitamin A should stimulate their appetite. They can have another injection next week if they need it.

To answer missibsu, they float for a few minutes, then their legs start moving and they seem to want to get out of the water asap. They will climb back up to their basking rock and put their heads down, like they are totally exhausted. Hopefully the antibiotics will help.

[marisa]

I don't want to second guess your vet, but be very careful about Vit A injections, especially with hatchlings. Vit A is toxic if the dosage is too high, and it can be very difficult to determine the correct dosage with tiny turtles. (What I'm saying is don't automatically agree to another injection thinking more is better).

Try to incorporate a good pellet (that Reptomin Baby, for example) into their diet, as well as some foods that have beta carotene in them (your turtles will safely use the beta carotene to make Vit A). Another food you might consider is San Francisco Bay Brand Aquatic Turtle Diet. It comes in cubes in a blister pack and contains all kinds of good things, including dandelions and bits of carrots (both have beta carotene). I've had good success using this food with hatchlings, both as part of their diet (quarter a cube to make it easier to eat) and as a way to transition over to more plant matter. It's sold at Petsmart as well (perhaps at other stores, but that's where I got it).

[amazingcc]

I would like to try this food for my turts, but can't find it anywhere (San Francisco Bay Brand Aquatic Turtle Diet)... I can only find krill and shrimp/bloodworms! I checked w/Petsmart and on-line. Any suggestions on where else I can look?

[LissaPea]

ok- It has been awhile so I thought I'd update the "sitch". I was able to bring the turtles to our City's best turtle vet. He gave them a shot of antibiotics ans sent me home with injections for 14 more days. I think we have three left right now. One turtle died a few days after we started with the antibiotics. He was the sicker one. The second one (Rafiki) now has beautiful wide open eyes! He still has not eaten anything. We have tried everything and anything, bugs, flies, worms, dinner leftovers, tuna. But... He is becoming more active and per Dr.'s instructions, we put him in a 50%water/50%gatorade or Pedialyte solution twice a day so he is getting some electrolytes in his systyem. He loves to go outside for real sun. We ALWAYS watch the temp of his tank in the sun. It had been cool here so it usually stays in the low-mid 80's. Keep your fingers crossed!

[missibsu]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I'm glad that the other one seems to be improving.

Do you move the whole tank outside for him to bask?

[LissaPea]

Yes, we move the regular tank. His eyes are big and his head has returned to a more normal looking shape. His nose points out now! Before he just had a round head. Not eating yet but I'm confident now that he is starting to feel better, and can see food, his appetite will return.

[missibsu]

If your set up is glass, I don't recommend taking it outside in the sun. The sun and glass combo can cause your water temp to spike in very little time. A plain cardboard box would be better.