General Care Discussion :: Turtle Sick for a while

[eazyegee]

Right now he's in the middle of the dock sleeping while the heat from the lights and the UVB hit him. I put him on the dock after I woke up and watched him for a couple of minutes he went back in the water. Then I put him back on again and crawled almost to the end and stayed there.

[SpotsMama]

yeah, he's a sick little guy. Poor thing!

[eazyegee]

Another question is that my RES is very small and is the size of a quarter. I took it to the vet once for this, it was I believe a herp vet since I googled for vets that can treat turtles. The reason I took the turtle was because he was sleeping and not swimming or basking but it was eating. The vet didn't give him any medicine and said that turtles are amphibians and ther one that I have is very small and was taken too early. I don't really know anything about turtles and environments and all that. He did examine it though the shell and everything. He also said to let it walk around because a turtle wouldn't like it all the time in the water. So my question is will my turtle which is a hatchling get sick with this again if the vet gives him the medicine for him? And will the medicine work 100%?

[iac637]

I wouldn't take it back to that vet they don't sound like they know what they are talking about. I would try to find someone else and ask when you call if they specialize in reptiles. Reptiles are ready to go as soon as they hatch. They are not dogs or cats that need the mother to take care of them. RES are aquatic turtles spending most of their life in water it is ok to let them walk sometimes but on a hatchling that can cause a lot of unneeded stress. No medicine doesn't always work just like with people and if his environment is a good one then he could get sick again.

[DavidY]

Find a different vet! That guy is clueless. Turtles are reptiles, not amphibians. And a RES does not need to walk on land. They are aquatic turtles. The only land they need is for basking or laying eggs (or if their tank is too small but that's another story).

Find a real vet who knows what a turtle is. That guy should have been able to treat your turtle the first time.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Wow....dude, I would honestly go back to the vet and demand your money back..

Yes, I agree..take your turtle to a different vet.

Turtle's are reptile's, NOT amphibian's..geez..I wonder what idiot decided to let this guy graduate from vet school

[iac637]

yeah you can tell he doesn't really work with turtles.

[DavidY]

Isn't basic biology and zoology required for a pre-vet student in college?? Where did that clown get his degree from, University of Animal Quackers?

[iac637]

no clue I knew that and I only took high school Biology

[eazyegee]

Well I have to take a test tomorrow but my mom will take the turtle down to a different vet.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Swimming tilted is a sign that one lung is collapsed, possibly from RI. This little guy needs some Baytril shots ASAP. And I hate to say it, but once a lung collapses, it is a very bad sign. Recovery is possible, but it depends on the strength/age of the turtle & how long he/she has been sick for. Usually by the time they get a collapsed lung, they have had RI for about 2-3 months which is a really long time for any animal to be sick (I went thru something a long time ago). It takes turtles a long time to show symptoms & that's prolly why you didn't notice it till now.

How long have you had this turtle?

Also, any vet who tells you that the turtle is an "amphibian" should have his doctor's degree revoked. Turtles are REPTILES, not amphibians. Amphibians are fish & frogs. You don't need a PhD to find that out....even I learned that in my HIGHSCHOOL Biology class. Yeesh.

[eazyegee]

I had the turtle for 6 months.

[marisa]

eazyegee, it would really be good if you did some reading and educated yourself about turtles. That way you'd be better able to assess whether or not the herp vet your turtle is being seen by is worth returning to.

[industrial_girl_2000]

I had the turtle for 6 months.

He/she may have already been sick when you got him.

My herp vet told me that whenever a Zoo gets a new Reptile, they isolate the new animal for 6 full months to make sure the animal isn't sick. After the 6 month waiting period, then they add the new reptile into the caged areas with the existing Zoo reptiles.

Just find a new herp vet....one that can help you get to the reason why your turtle is sick & give some meds for him to get better.

[eazyegee]

Ok he's back from the vet. He told me that most of these small turtles are sick and examined it. He said most of them don't live. And he didn't charge me.