Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Have a large collection in a big outdoor pen - very natural - 2 ponds. Do not see them all every day, or even some for weeks. The area is large enough for them to hide and not be spotted for awhile.

Found 2 with no marks - heavy - one on land and one in pond.

Before this - had one with head cyst that didn't make it.

The other 2 appeared to be covered with fly eggs? Clusters of small, elongated, beige soft material. Turtles had flies on them and these masses. Cleaned them off to see if there was anything under them (cuts, etc.) but saw nothting.

Have kept boxies for 40 years. Never this issue.

Any thoughts. Do not see any other sick ones in pen, but these did not appear ill either until they were found. Two were located in shallow pond - easy to exit. Others hidden by bushes or under ferns.

So sorry to hear that you've lost so many turtles in such a short time.

As for what could have caused this, well, it would be impossible for anyone here to say.

I suggest contacting a you veterinarian, veterinary college, state veterinarian's office, area zoo, or some such institution to see about having a necropsy done if you want a definitive answer.

You would also be well served to carefully look over your remaining turtles for signs of sickness: swelling, injury, lack of appetite, low weight, lethargy or listlessness, etc., and quarantine any turtles that appear to be affected.

The fly eggs you saw may have been deposited on the turtle after it died, but there is a fly (bot fly)that lays it's eggs on living turtles and the larvae grow under the turtle's skin.

Not to alarm you, but there are viruses that are known to affect turtles and that can decimate a colony quite quickly. If your turtles have been affected by such a virus, the scientific community will benefit from being aware of your situation, in that they can track the spread of the virus.

Again, I'm very sorry to hear about your turtles.

Have you added any turtles to the collection recently? Added any "wild" foods from outside your yards? Were any of the females gravid when they died?

Katrina