Baby Turtle?

Question

I have 2 baby res in a 20 long tank with a dock heater filter and uv light and an log ornament one turtle is wicked active and other sits on bottom with eyes closed not eating! Helppppppppppppppp

Answer 1

With RES, you need a basking area where they can climb out of the water--is this what you mean by dock? Also, a heat lamp so the temperature on the basking dock needs to be about 95F. Measure it with a digital probe thermometer. UV light needs to be UVB lamp made for reptiles, and these lights need to be changed every 6 months as they lose potency. A water heater is a must, as is a strong filter (turtles produce a lot of waste). Frequent water changes are vitally important as ammonia builds up quickly and causes illness. Sometimes housing two turtles together causes stress as one will dominate the other (common in cohabbed reptiles). Try separate tanks. Do you use loose substrate? Never use gravel or any other substrate in the bottom of the tank that can be swallowed--intestinal impactions are common. See this site for more info on health problems.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Answer 2

Eyes closed? If they are swollen, it could be a diet problem, dirty water, a bug it picked up.

The best thing is to separate them, give the sick turtle water in the 80-85F range, good UVB lighting, and drip some eye ointment or cod liver oil in the eyes to help loosen them up.

Check out the medical care section of http://www.austinsturtlepage.com or http://www.redearslider.com for more ideas.