Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys, I have had 3 red earred sliders for almost a year now and their doing great. The only problem is that they are growing too quickly (im starting to feed them less). Anyway I have a couple problems. One problem is that one of my red earred's has what looks like a raw spot on the back of his neck. Should i ignore this and wait for it to heal itself or should i get something to make it better immediately? the other big thing is that my friend gave me a turtle. He had a friend who found a hatchling river cooter in his backyard and took it in. He had no idea how to care for turtles and kept it in a tank with less than a gallon of water, a regular lightbulb, no rocks to bask on, no filter, etc... Just the turtle in a tank. He fed it bagels and whatever. Regardless of that I felt obligated, eventhough i dont exactly have the economical resources that is neccessary to care for a new turtle, to take this turlte in. I got him a 20 gallon tank, filter, UVB bulb, basking light, thermometer and heater, and a basking rock. He is probably about 6 months old if not older and is about the sie of a quarter. Hes sluggish right now, i moved him in yesterday, and hasnt really moved very much. Is this him just adadpting to his new surroundings or is he sick...?
jp

1. Your RES is almost assuredly suffering from neck biting, common in the aggressive courtship behavior of RES, a VERY aggressive species. They even court and neck-bite other males at times, if no female is present. Separate it until it heals a bit. Periodically keep it dry for a day or two and apply triple antibiotic ointment (generic of Neosporin Ointment). This stays on well even when the animal returns to water. Observe the behavior for further aggression when you return it to the community tank.
2. Cooter: Check my post just a little way below labeled "Definitely eastern box but..." with thoughts on diagnosing for respiratory disease vs dietary deficiency. Most likely, your turtle is suffering from long-term dietary deficiency. If the animal is very sluggigh at this point, it is almost impossible to get it to feed on its own. I have had very limited success tube feeding animals with a small piece of plastic tubing attached to a small syringe with a slurry of soaked Reptomin with a little Avitron bird liquid vitamin(keep it very liquid, or it will jam the tube) but this is VERY difficult to do with small turtles. The head must be moderately extended or the esophagus is too contorted to pass a tube. I lubricate the tube with triple antibiotic ointment to facilitate passage. Again, this is very difficult and may be beyond your capability and equipment. Keep the animal warm to encourage activity and voluntary feeding of cut up worms, killed guppies etc., if possible. Prognosis is always poor for small debilitated turtles.