Posted by:
LisaOKC
at Thu Aug 31 12:48:41 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by LisaOKC ]
Sounds like your indoor setup is ok.
What are your temps like in the summer?
Would it be possible to set up a pen for
warm weather?
I think ornates are found as far north as Wisconsin.
I don't know how that compares to North Dakota, but
since this turtle came from Missouri, you are right
to be cautious and not assume that it could tolerate
cooler temps, farther north, especially in winter.
But I would think you would have some spring/summer/
early fall days where he might enjoy being outside.
As far as indoors, you're going to want to provide a
range of temperature and humidity(as much as possible).
I would also provide a water dish that he can get in and
out of at will.
You might consider a large rubbermaid tub. That might
allow for more temperature and humididy variations as
well as a nice sized "pool" and hiding area.
It has been my experience that ornates are more fragile
than three-toeds. I've never lost a three toed, but I have
lost ornates.
Biggest problems are respiratory infections and eye problems
that may or may not be related to vitamin A deficiency.
I've had some ear infections, or swollen "ears", that were
mainly a result of respiratory infections.
I've pulled several through respiratory infections by adding
heat, pedialyte/gatorade soaks, force feeding a baby food chicken mixture, and occasionally giving a very small amount of
cod liver oil(mainly when eyes are the problem).
I once had to take a group to a reptile vet because they weren't responding to treatment. I had one male ornate, that
the vet thought might not make it. She put some sort of antibiotic directly into his trachea and put him and the others who were less severely on baytril. They all recovered.
By the way, Baytril works JUST FINE by mouth. I have never injected it. My vet wasn't comfortable with me doing that and it has always worked just fine by mouth.
I have never had a problem with parasites until this summer. I have a "sub adult" ornate rapidly crash and die(she never stopped eating). Her only symptom was that she didn't seem to
want to move her back legs very much. A necropsy didn't show anything. The vet said she looked like a healthy turtle.
The things he did note, could have been normal postmortom findings.
I then notice one ornate and one three-toed were not using their back legs normally. I had a vet do a fecal and he found coccidia. Both were treated with Albon and are now walking normally and otherwise seem fine.
I've never heard of back leg usage mentioned as a symptom,
except for another protazoa that we initially suspected.
Anyway, I don't mean to imply that ornates are an impossible trainwreck. But they are more fragile and you need to have a reptile vet (or one who is willing to learn) available.
My reptile vet moved and the vet I use now doesn't "specialize"
in reptiles, but he has the current reptile medicine and surgery book and is willing to do what it takes to make sure he is proceeding correctly. He even called the vet school about
the aforementioned problems I had this summer.
Anyway, just do as much research as you can, keep a close
eye on him and, post here if you have any questions and keep
a vet handy.
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RE: "Rescued" an ornate - LisaOKC, Thu Aug 31 12:48:41 2006