Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I need help bad. I have had turtles in the past and recently decided to get back into them. I ordered 2 RES hatchlings from a supposed reputable dealer. They arrived in bad shape. One was DOA and the other had its eyes closed. I thought the trauma was just too much and he just needed some time to relax. It has been almost 2 weeks and he still hasn't opened his eyes I don't think they formed correctly to begin with. He is still hanging on but I can't get him to eat. I am willing to keep him and do what I can for him but I need help. The other issue is that once he gets off his basking rock he gets lost in the tank and can't get back up on the rock without help. I moved him to a bowl with shallow water for fear he would get off the rock while I was at work get tired and drown before I could get home to help him. I am up for all suggestions I just want to help the poor little guy.

I responded to your same post at another site. In addition to any responses here, if you haven`t done so, you might want to check back on the other forum.

You need to take it to the vet! This can be many things
that will quickly kill your turtle including respiratory
and bacterial infections. I would also call where you
purchased them and give them an earful. I hope they were
shipped overnight.

Linda

Who is this "reputable" dealer? I would like to avoid doing business with them if they dont make ammends with you.
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I agree that you should get it to a vet.

However, this sounds a lot like one of my turtles when I first got it. I adopted it from an abusive home. His eyes were sealed shut, couldn't swim right, and wouldn't eat. I put him in just enough water to keep him wet because I feared he would drown (he had nearly drowned himself before). He rubbed his eyes with water for hours and finally got them open. What kick started his appetite was live food. He didn't eat for weeks. I picked up the smallest guppies I could find and put him in a very small container with the guppy. He finally ate one. I kept the eating container small because he was too weak to move with much speed. Gave him a better shot at the guppy. I also made sure to put a couple food pellets in the container. Even though he didn't touch it for the longest time, I knew he was at least getting a few nutrients by drinking the water the food was soaking in. But he did eventually recover with A LOT of work and supervision.

I certainly wish the same for your turtle. It's sad when babies get sick. And I'm sorry for your loss of the other turtle.

Devin