Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought my turtle on monday (today is wednesday) and I got him because he's hurt and the man at the pet store said that NO ONE would take him . He has 4-6 open wounds on his shell, is missing a claw on each of his front hands, hasnt eaten since i've had him (i'm not sure if i'm not feeding him correctly, so advice on this would be great), and he has not basked on his rock since i've had him... he Does swim around some but generally he sits next to the small heater or in the corner. is this normal? i have antibacterial ointment on his shell as the pet store sugested and i've been trying to keep his water ~73-75 (this is hard and the heater does not work very well b/c its small) i waited ~3 weeks to buy "bear" because i didnt have the space for his tub (how deep should his water be? he is covered now but i'm not sure how much higher it should be, if at all)
i am going to take pictures later this week of his shell and will post them if anyone would like and could help me with possibilities of how he got hurt.

please reach me by either posting, email: (perrea81@oneonta.edu), or AIM: fathomdancer101

I am really worried about him and hope that he will be all right
THank you
Ellie

You should take him to vet who has knowledge treating
turtles. Depending on the depth of the injuries to the
shell septicemia could set in which would kill your turtle.

Until you can get to a vet keep it in very clean water
with a basking area. Most importantly, get on the internet
and do lots of research. Try some canned dog food to see
if he will eat it (chicken flavor) and buy some Reptomin
Floating pellets. You can broaden his diet as he gets well
but right now he needs to eat something.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Linda

If youre having trouble maintaining water temperature, try covering the tub with plastic like the lid or a piece of plexiglass. the cord from the heater will keep it from being airtight, besides most tubs have holes under the handles, unless you have a really small tub which I dont recommend. How big is the tub? What kind of basking light do you have? How is your basking area set up? How deep is the water? and How many gallons of water are in the tub? Most likely the reason your turtle is injured is because you bought it at a pet store. If NO ONE would buy the turtle, I sure hope you got a good deal. I hope you didnt buy the turtle to "save" him from the pet store. This only encourages the pet store to get more turtles hoping people will pity them and buy them. Most pet stores dont know how to take care of aquatic turtles, and certainly dont provide for their needs in store. Most aquatic turtles are nervous animals and try to hide when people come near them, which is usually impossible in the small aquariums theyre kept in. If the turtle doesnt try to hide, he is probly sick. As for the water temp at 73-75, that seems low to me, mine stays at 77-80. I have a 120 gallon tank with multiple basking areas and water all the way to the top. The tank is covered by a canopy hood which reduces the stress on the titanium electric heater which is in the filter.
-----

Thank you... i've had the water warmer for about 5 days now and he seems to be doing a lot better. I think that he is eating now though he does it when i'm gone in the mornings. I have been "dry docking" him durring the day to help his shell which seams to be doing MUCH better, all though it's pretty stinky Because i have been taking him out of the water and sortof playing with him he is a lot more comfortable around me and doesnt jump as much when i come toward the tank. He still jumps and ducks but when i touch him he doesnt fight me anymore. Last night he was staring at the lamp again after i put him back after drying him out and i went over, turned off the light, and placed him on the rock. He stayed there and started to sleep untill i turned off the living room overhead light b/c i was going to bed, when rather than scampering into the side of the tub and hitting his head again he slowly slid into the water... When i first take him out to help him dry off he will open his mouth ALL the way and stare at me but after i tell him to "shh" he'll put his nose out for me to touch he usually runs in my hands (from one to the other) and sometimes depending on the time that i take him out he crawls down into my lap and under the side of the cloth that i use to help with his medicine (its clean) he'll sleep... i havent found any big nasty white/green clumpy things in his tank the last 2 days and i think thats good...

Thank you!!