return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply  
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply
Mice, Rats, Rabbits, Chicks, Quail
Available Now at RodentPro.com!
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Alligator . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - June 16, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - June 18, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - July 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - June 22, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - June 22, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - June 28, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - July 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - July 05, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - July 06, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - July 14, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
full banner - advertise here .50¢/1000 views
click here for Rodent Pro
pool banner - $50 year

RE: Signs of an over weight turtles?

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Painted Turtles ] [ Reply To This Message ]
[ Register to Post ]

Posted by: PHRatz at Wed May 3 12:13:55 2006  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by PHRatz ]  
   

>>Can someone tell me how can you tell if a turtle is over weight? Our baby Squirt(about 2 years old?)was outside for the first time this year and he had trouble walking, he swims like a flash and gets up and down on his rocks, but is very awkward on land. It was like it took great effort for him to go a short distance, where as last year he could scoot and run like a hatchling...do they get this way as they grow up? He eats about one medium size earthworm a day, sometimes egg...very picky.(I've posted before on this subject and have been trying other things...)

Uh oh.. that sounds more like the symptoms of a calcium deficiency than being over weight.
When they are over weight they look fat, you'll see a lot of "meat" protruding out the leg openings.
When they have trouble walking then that sounds much more serious than a weight problem.
Do you have UV/B fluorescent lighting for him or are you able to take him outside for real sunlight? Real sunlight is the best.
His diet sounds like it's definately lacking calcium if he's only eating an earthworm a day.
He needs to eat a huge variety & he needs his food loaded with vitamins & calcium. Try giving him whole live fish, such as minnows. If he can eat a small whole live fish then he'll get a lot of calcium through the fish scales & it's bones.
I am not big on pellet foods, because they don't eat pellets in the wild, I like mine to eat a diet that's as close to wild as I can get; however, I do feed mine some pellet food 2-3 times per month because there is a lot of added vitamins & minerals in the pellets. If you could get him to eat a little Mazuri turtle pellet food or Reptomin.. it'd help.

If you really cannot get him to take other foods right away, you should see a vet because a vet can treat this quickly for now then you can work on the diet later.
Let us know how it goes and good luck!
-----
PHRatz


   

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]


>> Next topic:  Squirts Web Debut - piffler1960, Sat May 6 19:07:05 2006
<< Previous topic:  Painted Hybrids? - tbrophy71, Mon May 1 10:01:34 2006