Urgent Care :: Old Female Res seems sick

[zana]

How big is your turtle? 7 pounds
How long have you had it? 20 years

What is the water temperature? Don't know
Did you use a thermometer? No
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? It's a 75 gallon tank
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? Don't know
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Don't know, got it from a pet store
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? She normally eats Omega One pellets along with some treats but right now she's only eating canned fish
When was the last time your turtle ate? Yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 75 gallons
Is the tank near a window? Sort of
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? My female res is about thirty years old. Over the past few weeks she has become less active and gone off her regular food. I thought maybe she was gravid but I took her for an x-ray today and nothing. No eggs, no internal masses, no stones in her bladder or anything. Her mouth is fine and he said overall she looks good but I know something is wrong. I know they always become less active in winter but it's strange for her to go off her food completely. Normally she's a voracious eater. Now she's only eating a little canned tuna or salmon every two to three days. She's never eaten veggies. I was just never able to get her into them. In addition to her tank she has a huge nesting box filled with a mixture of organic soil and sand. She does still bask and her eyes are still bright and clear and there's no sign of any respiratory distress. Her poop has been looking a little funny but I think that's just because she's not eating regular.

I'm just worried and wondering if anyone else has been through this. She's my first turtle and I don't really know what to expect when the end comes around. The vet did take blood from her today but they have to send it out of state so it will be a while before I hear anything. Any thoughts anyone has would be appreciated. I've been leaving her heat light on extra because I figured she could probably use the warmth right now. The apartment I'm in is kept at really high temps and in the morning sunlight does stream into her tank. She loves it. That's her favorite time to bask. Anyway, just looking for any wisdom anyone might have. Thanks in advance.

[steve]

Do you always use the nesting box as a dry dock/basking area or just now? A little bump in temps is fine, how recent was the water change? She could be less energetic due to age. It's good that she has some appetite, does she like live prey?

[zana]

The nesting box she has now is a "new" one. I set it up a few months ago. But since setting it up she uses it regularly. I change her water every week. Most recent water change was a couple of days ago. I've never tried live prey. Don't have the heart for it but I guess if push came to shove I'd do it. I'm still waiting on the blood work results. Thanks for your reply!

Also, to clarify, she has a nesting box and a basking "rock". She uses both. Typically she suns herself on the basking platform thing but she likes hanging out in the nesting box sometimes too.

[steve]

So the nesting box is in the tank or accessible from the tank?

[zana]

Accessible from the tank.

[steve]

Did the vet do any other tests? Or had any comments?

[zana]

As I mentioned, he did x-rays and blood work. The x-rays showed nothing unusual and he literally just called me right now to tell me her blood work came back all fine. So I'm completely stumped.

[steve]

Good that the tests came back fine. This could just be her age showing but her water temperatures should be regulated and monitored.

[zana]

Okay, here's an interesting layer to the puzzle. She's still not eating her regular food so I'm still having to feed her canned fish by hand. That being said, I keep trying to get her to eat her regular food and here's the weird thing that happened just now. She was acting hungry so I tossed a few shrimp turtle treats into her tank. She didn't eat the treats BUT she saw their shadow on the bottom of the tank and tried to eat the shadows. Has anyone here ever seen that kind of behavior before? As previously mentioned there are no symptoms of respiratory issues or even eye issues. She was examined by a vet and she looked/looks healthy. Eyes are clear, no nasal discharge. Can old turtles get dementia? Could her vision or sense of smell be affected in some other way so that she can see shadows but not perceive floating food as food? Also maybe worth noting is that if I drop canned fish into the tank she'll eat that too because it drops to the bottom. She seems to just not want to eat anything that floats. It's very weird.

[steve]

How is her vision otherwise? If her head is out of the water, she may not be seeing the food correctly.