Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby red ear slider is acting strange. He is seemingly sleeping most of the time, and he feels limp when you pick him up. He doesnt seem to have much strength, but he doesnt look malnourished. His shell is leathery and dry, even though he is in the water. His eyes are also a bit swollen shut. I have had turtles before, and one of them was acting the same. It ended up dying after about 1 month or so, and I dont want this one to suffer the same fate if possible. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Jesus -

Sounds like you have several problems going on a once with this turtle. A trip to the vet is really in order if things are at this point with him. He will probably need antibiotics. Does he have a basking area with lights?

Get him to a vet as fast as possible.

Good luck

Steve

Is any vet good? I know some vets, but as far as I know, they only work with dogs and cats. I live in the Los Angeles area, and if you know of any good vets that can help me, or if there was some way you could find some, it would be a great help. He does have a basking area, and what should I do about that? He's a baby, how would the antibiotics work on him?

Jesus -- Here is a list of Herp vets in California. See if any are close by.

Good luck
Steve

http://nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm#CA

The Vet is the best thing to do... But, while you are waiting for the appointment try to warm up the tank water a bit (no hotter then 80 degrees) and make sure your turtles getting enough calcium (pieces of cuttle bone are good sources). What is you light source? Do you have both uva and uvb? Do you have a water heater and are you cleaning the water?

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/vetlisting.htm#California

This is a pretty lengthy lists of herp vets in your area.

hope everything turns out okay.
Link

Your turtle is sick. For starters, make sure you have a heater in the water. Make sure the little one doesnt get cold or you'll hav e a sicker turtle on your hands. You dont want it to catch pneumonia - which can be a common killer of babies. Make sure the water is warm and he has a basking area. Use a thermometer to make sure its not too hot or cold.

Does he swim? If he's lop-sided when he swims, then he already has a chest infection and will need antibiotics to get better.

Try looking in the phone book for vets that specialize in reptiles. Most vets dont like to mess with baby turtles because (to be honest) 50% babies dont make it because of abnormalities, disease, etc, which is why most states have laws prohibiting the sale of turtles under 4".

Best of luck with your little one.

~Meg

Meg --

ALL states prohibit the sale of turtles under 4". It is a federal law.

I wish it could be for as caring a reason as you have stated that this law was introduced but the fact is that it has to do with potential of salmonella being spread to small children who may place these little turtles in their mouths. (perhaps the stupidest logic ever because what is to stop some small child from picking up a six inch turtle and putting near or into their mouth.)?

This law only gets enforced sporadically and undersized turtles are available for sale everywhere.

Steve

Hi Jesus,

My baby is sick the same way yours is. His prob. seems to be mostly his eyes. They remain closed all the time and his wipes at them. I live in West LA. I have been to one of the offices that has a herp vet. They have treated my white's tree frog with great results. Maybe we could go to a vet together and share the cost??

Let me know.
Rebecca