Harold is a red eared slider and is about 5-6 years old. He has been our class pet for over 4 years. He is very friendly and likes to be hand fed. Harold spent this summer in a friend's man made pond in her yard. The pond had 4 other turtles and ate feeder fish and pellets for the summer. When Harold came back to school the pond had already gotten kind of cold, and that was in mid September. He was very dark almost black in color when we took him out. Since taking him out of the pond he seems tired, has a lack of appetite (he won't even eat feeder fish), and I have seen some kind of foam coming from his nose and mouth. I have taken one of the smaller turtles into my tank to see if his behavior is due to loneliness and missing the pond, which didn't work. Harold seems to be getting worse, he is lost A LOT of weight and doesn't like going into the water, (he stays on the rocks.) His eyes are sinking in and he won't walk when we put him on the floor. Any clue what is wrong? What to do?
2006-10-17 15:18:20 · 15 answers · asked by 1st Grade Teacher 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
harold has an upper respiratory infection and needs medical attention ASAP, please keep him warm until you get him to the vet
Good Luck
2006-10-17 19:15:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never heard of all those symptoms in a turtle, although you can rule out loneliness and missing a pond. The only thing I can try to help you with is that when one of my turtles had a respiratory infection (due to very dirty water, and probably cold), he foamed at the mouth and made wheezing sounds. The foam comes from the infection and inability to breathe properly, and it's a bacterial problem, so you need to see a vet to get it taken care of. If it is a bacterial problem, the vet will probably give you Baytril to inject into the turtle (which he won't like, but it saved my turtle's life!). It's costly to do so but when a turtle is that sick, he will most definitely not recover on his own or by home treatment. Please take him to a vet, your students would be so sad if he didn't make it through =(
2006-10-17 23:16:50 · answer #2 · answered by Dumblydore 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Harold has a respiratory disease and is trying to hibernate.
Hibernation is triggered by lowering temps and shortening day cycles. Being chilled (and probably being stressed by being shifted between habitats) and being around humans with colds introduced the respiratory disease.
The good news is that you can work on both.
To combat hibernation, we offer a fake summer- heating and lighting to simulate summery weather- 80-85 degree water, 10-12 hour long days (with lighting that includes ultra-violet, which does not penetrate glass or most plastics).
To combat mild illness, we boost the temps a bit (usually 75-80 is recommended, so we already did this part!), keep the tank super clean- usually with strong filtration and frequent water changes, reduce stress (noise, vibrations, handling, being stared at, etc.), and offer great food.
I often find Red-ears in tanks that are too small, too cold, unlit, etc. Red-ears should be in about 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle- at 5-6 years old, he should be around 4" to 8" long- so a 40-80 gallon pool. Most of us use Rubbermaid tubs or kiddie pools at this size.
As for the diet, we recommend a mixture of high-quality turtle pellets (or trout chow), a small handful of dark leafy greens (lightly boiled or microwaved to let them sink), and a mix of live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods'- fish, bugs, worms, snails, crustaceans, etc. Of course, those foods tend to make the water kinda nasty- which goes back to the filtration issue.
Lonliness is not a big issue with turtles- although overcrowding is a concern.
For more info, try
http://ww.redearslider.com
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com
2006-10-17 23:20:16 · answer #3 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he has a possible Upper Respiratory Infection to me and this requires a vet ASAP.. The vet will probably use baytril for the infection and the best you can do is to keep the water temp in his cage at 75 F and have a heat lamp over him to keep the air temp around 75F as well unless directed differently from the vet.
Hope your turtle does well. If you have any other questions you can email me at djnelson@aquarealmaquarium.com.
let me know how he is doing.
2006-10-18 15:55:19 · answer #4 · answered by DJ n 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By the symptoms that you described, it sounds like Harold may have a bad respiratory infection, which could also have led to pneumonia. Please set a good example for your students and take him to a veterinarian who has experience with reptiles!!! He needs medication! Also, he may have picked up parasites and viral or fungal infections while in the pond. I would have his stool checked and the vet should check him for signs of other infection. Please take him soon! In the meantime, make sure it is he has a heat lamp to bask under and keep it warm in his tank. It will not help him to be cold!!! Good luck!
2006-10-18 00:41:41 · answer #5 · answered by luvbabysky 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it could be slowly diying
i think its best you seek a veterinarian
my turtle died it had the same symptoms but not all
i regret not taking mines to the vet
try pelletes or shrimp food
if its not eating that take it to the vet
foam could be that it got some soap by accident or something else
i had two turtlels one died of starvation(eyes sank,wouldnt move,and stayed on rock )
and the other it ate but it would open its mouth and foam would come out
never wash the crate with soap even if you think you got all the soap off just rinse
2006-10-17 22:31:41 · answer #6 · answered by mishakatrina 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He probably got a virus from the other turtles. I was given a desert tortoise who is over 30 years old. In researching it says not to return to wild as he could give a virus to the other turtles. Find a reptile vet quick...call a zoo if need be to get the name of one. Don't let him die in front of the children, Good luck. Let me know how it works out.
Turtle lover
2006-10-17 22:29:40 · answer #7 · answered by findtriny 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He most likely has pneumonia. Take him to a vet immediatly. That is the only chance. KEEP ALL OTHER TURTLES AWAY FROM HIM, it is highly contagious. If he is not taken to a vet he will most likely die (90%). Even with taking him to vet his chances of survival aren't great. Quarentine the turtle that you put in with him. Keep an eye on him, keep him in a warm area. If he gets any of the same symptoms take him to the vet as well.
2006-10-18 16:30:01 · answer #8 · answered by jesraptora 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like pneumonia to me.You need to take him to a vet right away for injections of Baytril(an antibiotic used for turtles)He will need repeated injections and will take a long time to recover(if he does at all).he may also need some subcutaneous fluids and an injection of B-complex vitamins to get him eating again.You will need to keep him in a warm DRY tank with a shallow dish of water to drink,and a heat lamp.Take him now or he will die.
2006-10-18 04:08:34 · answer #9 · answered by Dances With Woofs! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By putting the turtle in the wild you exposed him to a myrid of diseases and parasites. While wild turtles often can live with these, animals in captivity usually can not.
TAKE HIM TO A REPTILE VET!
2006-10-17 23:01:15 · answer #10 · answered by Betty 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I own 2 red eared sliders. Sorry, doesn't sound like he's going to make it. See Vet soon. good luck
2006-10-17 22:23:42 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋