Is my turtle dying?

Question

I have a yellow-eared slider, and lately he's been acting strange. He lays out and refuses to eat, swim, or do really anything. When I hold him, his head lolls wheerever I turn him, as if he has no control over it. He sticks his head out and takes deep rasping breaths, and doesn't open his eyes a lot. He's shedding, it seems, as his skin is peeling. I tried to feed him some raw hamburger, and he tries to eat it, but can't manage with his rasping. What is there I can do? Is he dying, and if so, how can I ease his pain?

Answer 1

OK, it sounds like you might be in a bit of trouble.
Some questions/advice:

1 - How big is the slider? The smaller they are, the more prone they are to illnesses.

2- Do you have any other turtles in the tank w/ him? That's never a good idea since one turtle may be carrying a virus that doesn't affect them, but can make the other turtle ill.

3- In regards to him not wanting to swim: keep him in clean water! Empty the tank completely and add clean water (hopefully you have a filter?). One of the main causes of death in turtles is dehydration. They have to stay in CLEAN water, especially if he's not feeling very well. You could even put a rock in the water so that the turtle would be submersed in water, but not completely under.

4- Hamburger is not a good idea! If you go to a pet store, they have all kinds of different foods and vitamins for turtles. They need nutrients and luckily there are more and more vitamins and healthy food coming out for turtles. Also, when you go to the pet store, pick up 1 or 2 cuttlebones (white bones used for birds). The turtle should peck at these every so often. They're a great source of calcium for the turtle.

5- Next, where do you keep the turtle tank? Turtles need UVA and UVB rays, which means they need sunlight as well as light from the night sky. If this isn't possible, you can but a heat lamp to put over the tank w/ a UVA/UVB bulb in it.

6- Water temperature: is it too cold/hot? turles can become very lethargic if not in the right kind of environment.

7- Your turtle isn't shedding - most likely it's shell rot. What you need to do is take him out of the tank and let him dry off a bit. The drier his shell is, the better. Then CAREFULLY peel off the scales that are shedding, but not if it's a thick piece of the shell. Then, go to the store, buy an antiseptic to clean the shell and the underside, and then get a moisurizer SPECIFICALLY FOR TURTLES/REPTILES to put on the top shell.

8 - Very important - feel the top and bottom shell. Push the shell and check out if there are any spots that are soft. The top and bottom shell should be rock hard. If this is the case, in my opinion, it's most likely he has a vitamin deficiency.

9-If he's wheezing a lot, you should probably take him to the vet.


I recommend taking him to a vet regardless. But, it's not a guarantee whatsoever that he will survive. You should do what you can so you have no regrets if he does die. I hope I helped you out a bit - please let me know how it goes. Good luck!

Answer 2

It probably has pneumonia,which is very hard to cure in turtles.Also,sliders need a lot more varied diet than hamburger.They need fresh green veggies,fruit,live fish ,snails,worms,turtle sticks,and a calcium supplement.They also need a full spectrum light.The peeling skin and eye problems point to vitamin A deficiency.I'm afraid you're turtle may be on it's last legs,poor thing.If it's still alive tomorrow,you'd better get it to a vet right away.

Answer 3

Based on your description, I'd say it is too late for a vet.
You need to research proper care before you purchase a turtle.
Asking questions on Yahoo answers does not constitute research.

Answer 4

if you get the yellow pages you should look under vet and look at the adds and call an exotics vet and ask them .

Answer 5

bring him to the vet. she will know the answer. never feed turtles raw meat!

Answer 6

yes ????