okay so last night one (barjohna) of them had something that was red coming out of its bottom and it was pushing really hard and trying to pull it out with its back legs. The other turtle (jehu) came behind barjohna and pulled it out it was long and jehu kept pulling it then he ate it and it looked like a worm kinda...so i took jehu and put him in a different tank and barjohna looked like he was in pain cuz he kept pacing back and forth in one part of the tank. i can't really afford a vet bill right now and barjohna seems fine now but what should i do if it happens again...and do you know what it is. I love my tutles alot and want to take good care of them so please only serious answers.
2007-02-10 15:36:20 · 5 answers · asked by THE 3 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
well, it sounds like it was a worm. If it was a prolapse of any kind and your other turtle pulled it out and ate it it would have bled and you would have noticed this. Parasites are typical in reptiles. You should get them to a vet. If taking them to a vet is beyond your means at the moment, you can try a product called para-zap. I have heard really good things about it. You have to order it off the internet. Kingsnake.com has it in the classifieds under food and suppliments. You really need to separate them, they will go after each other at some point. The snapper I adopted only has three legs because his previous owner thought he needed a friend.
2007-02-10 17:13:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the worst case scenario is, as already mentioned, a prolapse... penile or intestinal. However, if it was an intestinal prolapse that you witnessed... your turtle would probably be dead. Since he seems to be fine now, odds are what you witnessed was your turtle passing some sort of worm-- probably a fluke. I do recommend that you take at least this turtle to the vet to have this confirmed, and also to get a de-wormer for your babies. I hate to say it, because it sounds unecessarily harsh, but if you can't afford basic medical care for these guys you probably shouldn't have them-- snappers are not low maintenance pets by any stretch of the imagination. Sliders really are a better starter turtle.
Also, please, please, for the welfare of your turtles, house them seperately from now on. This was a close call, and it should be an eye-opener for you, because snappers should never be housed together, not even hatchlings. If you keep them together for much longer, you will likely end up down one turtle.
Good luck!
2007-02-11 00:05:48 · answer #2 · answered by auburn recluse 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Idon't want to be mean either but if you can not afford to take them to the vet for a check up then you shouldn't have them. And you should house them seperatley for their safety and I think that the thing you saw was a type of worm or parasite, in which case they should see a vet.
2007-02-11 03:46:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like it might have been a penile prolapse, when the penis pops out for some reason. Usually, it will retract normally but can become injured- or attacked by other animals in the tank.
You may want to look over the Medical Information section of http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for other ideas.
2007-02-10 23:45:06 · answer #4 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could have been a red worm parasite or even a small leach very unlikely it was a penis....? lame answers,.. any ways you will want to keep the infected turtle seperate as oarasites tend to multiply
2007-02-11 01:21:29 · answer #5 · answered by insane_mrsinister_unknown 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋