Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby RES used to eat his pellets alll the time (he used to swim to my hand excitedly), but a few days ago he just stopped eating! When I tried feeding him the other day, I could tell he was hungry, but he still wouldn't eat. He even gaped his mouth a few times.. lately he's been acting really sluggish - he wasn't like this before! What can it be?? Besides heating the water, what else can I do?? I doubt he just stopped liking the food.. maybe the pellet hurt his throat or jaw?? also, i read somewhere in the posts that guppies carry worms that they can spread to turtles, but some people said it was harmless and some said to get the turtles checked by a vet. I recently put a small guppy in, and noticed that it has a long strip hanging out of its behind - could this guppy be the cause of my turtle's problem???

Not likely. The long thing hanging from the guppy was likely poop.

What kind of set up do you have for your turtle. Is he swimming normally or lopsided? What is your basking area temp. and your water temp. Please give us these particulars and we can go from there. It may be a respiratory infection.

The thing is, the guppy has been in the tank for about a week now, and every single time I've see it, it's had the trail behind it..

The set up I have is a 10 gallon tank (he's really small) with a few inches of water and a dry basking spot with a 75 watt bulb about a foot above it (i dont know the exact temperature). He swims around normally, the thermometer says that the temp is usually in the 75 degree range..

It could also be that I don't have a filter right now- I change the water and rinse the gravel once a week, but this past week I changed it two days late - do you think this could have caused his illness?? How can you tell if it's a respiratory infection?
My other turtle is doing fine - in fact he's been more active and eats more now that the sick one is less dominant.

all i can guess is that its a respitory infection, maybe at night when u sleep the temp goes down....and it caused him to get sick....when my turtle was gasping for air...not eating...being a lot less active...i got a heater...made the water 85, in a matter of 3-5 days i saw him get better, in about 2 weeks he was complitley good....i say you bust up the temp....maybe to 82 to be safe

If you feel that the guppy is a problem, removing it is a simple answer. Guppies are really too fatty to be anything but treats anyway. And yes, fish do carry worms, but I dont believe that this is your turtles problem. It sounds like a respiratory infection, a minor one that could easily get worse. You need to raise the water temperature anywhere from 82-85 degrees Farenheit for the water and a little higher for the basking temperature. Your baby needs to heal itself, and higher temperature helps boost his immune system. If you dont see an improvement, or he gets worse (swimming lopsided, mucous coming out of nose, gasping for breath) then its vet time. For right now give him a chance to heal on his own since it doesnt seem too advanced. As for the water thing, changing the water too much only affects how much beneficial bacteria is in your tank. This good bacteria gets rid of ammonia, which is a very good thing for aquatic turtles. I change my little Squirts water (50%) weekly because he doesnt have a filter, and I have not always been on time to do it. Missing two days will not make a difference if you have been changing it weekly. Phew! I hope this helps you, and good luck with your turtle!

Thank you so much for that informative post! I've been so paranoid that every time I see him limp I think he's about to pass away. I guess I'll just have to wait it out and bump up the temps in the tank.
Thanks again!
Payley

My little turtles haven't been eating either. I have two that act perfectly normal otherwise. They swim, bask, play in the waterfall. Other than an occasional bite of romaine lettuce or cuttle bone, they have completely stopped eating. Won't eat pellets or boiled chicken. I think I read that some turtles just don't eat during the winter, I know they can go a long time without food. If all else is normal, is it really something to worry about?