Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had a beautiful male malaysian box turtle (Cuora amboinensis), wich i called "Kaka". He was a fat, healthy turtle. I clean his enclosure (a huge plastic tub) every 3 days, and also feed him at that time. I had to limit feeding regimens, since he was very fat(not obese though), and refused any kind of vegetable matter. He accepted certain fruits, and loved crickets, mealworms, earthworms(well, almost any kind of animal protein). I dont feed him things like beef liver or any kind of raw meat. I do feed him fishes and freshwater shrimp though(alive, of couse, but i occasionally kill 1 or 2 fishes if they are too fast for him to catch). He was a hearty eater, and was exceptionally greedy. And, he was a loner. He never got along with my other 4 Malaysian box turts, that lived in a tank. A few days ago, i noticed that he was tilting in the water, wich usually meant pneumonia, but wasnt able to do anything, since i had 12 other reptiles to tend i had to study hard for my final exams, if i ever want to graduate middle school and go to high school. I live in Indo, and at this time of the year, is the change from the rainy season to summer, so the weather are at its extremes. It might be bright & sunny one minute, and pouring in the second. Anyway, he was fine, and today, when i finally got some time off, and wanted to tend to his sickness, i noticed his tank water was actually black. When i opened the top of the enclosure, there he was, lying dead. When i lifted the dead turt, his whole intestines actually fell of in a black mushy goo. It seems that it died around yesterday, and since water increases decomposing, the turts body collapsed. I was besided with grief, and wanted to take much of the blame. He was my best mate for around 4 years, one of the pioneers that made me fascinated with herpetology until now. He was an adult, around 17 cm (thats 6,8". I was stupid and foolish, not to care for him immediately i noticed something was wrong. He was around and okay 3 days ago (i didnt know how he was yesterday or the day before, since i'm still taking the exams and didnt check), and now, all i have are fond memories of one of my best pals. Does anyone know any other possiblities that caused his death? At least it will help to make amends for my mistake. And i am open to any critics. I deserve every word.
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My "babies" :
1.0.0 Indo BTS (Tiliqua gigas gigas)
0.0.1 Rainbow skinks (Mabuya multifasciata)
0.0.3 RES (Trachemys scripta elegans)
0.0.4 Amboina box turtles (Cuora amboinensis)
1.0.0 Chinese softshell (Trionyx sinensis)
1.0.0 Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)
1.0.0 Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
And still growing...

theres a typo, there's nothing nice about a dead friend
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My "babies" :
1.0.0 Indo BTS (Tiliqua gigas gigas)
0.0.1 Rainbow skinks (Mabuya multifasciata)
0.0.3 RES (Trachemys scripta elegans)
0.0.4 Amboina box turtles (Cuora amboinensis)
1.0.0 Chinese softshell (Trionyx sinensis)
1.0.0 Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)
1.0.0 Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
And still growing...

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I'm very sorry for your loss. No harsh words here, it seems you have already said them all to yourself and I doubt you will ever make the same mistake again.

three days seems pretty quick to succumb, but he could have been sick for a while before showing any signs. That's the only thing I can think of.

Dave