Please don't be a nervous wreck. I know that's asking a lot.



Right now, Nora has some infected eyes. You're on your way to the Vet. You're doing the most cautious thing! In the grand scheme of things, infected eyes are not a huge deal. It's more a situation of what the infected eyes MAY represent. The Vet. should be able to pick up on that. Having treated Ornates in the past...you are a long way from serious problems. That's just my opinion. You are being an observant and thoughtful owner, and that's the key to preventing serious problems.



Ornates respond EXTREMELY well to hospital care. They really are tough as nails, relatively speaking. I'm sure that Ratz will agree, you can bring them back from death's doorstep! Nora just has a slight problem in the grand scheme of things.



I think you should treat Nora, bring her up to 85 to 90 degree F daytime temperatures, start offering her scrumptious living prey, don't give her very deep substrate to bury in (just barely deeper than the shell maybe), and provide 12 to 14 hours of full spectrum UVA/UVB light. Try to wake her up. Personally, I'd have to disagree with the "hibernation limbo" that was recommended. It's all or nothing with me...either full-on, 40 to 45 degree F hibernation, or summertime conditions. Can a turtle survive a period of "sub-hibernation"? Sure! However, your turtle is a stressed out, probably WC, captive in a new environment. It's a lot to ask. I hope I haven't offended you. It's not my intent.



Question - Does SI stand for Staten Island?



I have a male Ornate named Dom. This was the turtle that made me realize that I could actually keep Ornates outdoors in the Eastern US...a literal lifelong dream. I rescued him from South Carolina. He was 1/4 of his current weight, couldn't move anything but his throat when breathing, and every breath (only 2-4 per minute) spewed liquid from his open mouth. Subcutaneous fluids, dry heat, antibiotics, and time brought him back to health. I never thought he'd make it, but they're amazing animals.

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