I had to adopt it from my mom's friend because she was migrating and there was no one to adopt it.
She brought him in a 10 inch by 10 inch by 17 inch glass tank, and instructed me to a) feed it 10 pellets once a day b) clean filter and change water once every two weeks.
Some things to note is that it didn't come with any basking area and UVB light. I suppose it was able to live healthily for 10 years till now because we live in Singapore, which is a perpetually sunny and warm country with temperatures around 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) or more very often.
This is my very first reptile, and I followed her instructions for 2 weeks, where he was fine. He was eating his pellets and pooping fine. However, he suddenly stopped eating. I took him out to inspect his shell and realised that it's actually very flaky and white. I read some forum and realised that it's probably shell rot. So I started dry docking him from yesterday.
I keep him in his tank, only no water. There is indirect sunlight where he is at. I rehydrate him by bathing him in a smaller container for about 1.5 hours, twice a day. I leave him lettuce and watermelon and some pellets for him to eat during his bath. After the baths, I apply slightly diluted betadine on his shell and return him to his tank.
My worry is his very frantic behaviour in the dry tank. He seems to be trying to escape, scratching at the glass and trying to stand on his hind legs. This causes him to slip and hit the glass bottom with a sound of a rock being tapped on glass. He runs around a lot, and his throat bulges up and down quite fast. Is this normal or is the dry docking very uncomfortable for him?
Also, he never tries to float. When I bathe him, he simply falls right to the bottom of the container and sits there.
He used to live with another turtle, and when he grew big enough, he apparently had a very violent fight that the other RES had to go to the vet for stitches. After that, the other RES had to live in the bath, while he lived in the glass tank (nothing laid out on the floor).
Please guide me!! I don't know if this counts as an emergency, but he seems to be having a lot of problems at once, and it's really worrying. I'm willing to put in a lot of effort for this boy's health.
How big is your turtle?
5.5 inches How long have you had it?
this is the third week I've had him, but he's 10 years old.What is the water temperature?
before the dry docking, it was probably 27 degrees C (80 degrees F)Did you use a thermometer?
no.Are you using a water heater?
no.How much water is in there?
before the dry docking, the water was slightly above his shell. Are you using a water conditioner?
no.Are you using any filtration?
yes. What is the basking temperature?
27 degrees or higher (80 degrees F)Is there a basking light?
no, but many hours of indirect sunlight now that he's dry docking. Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
no. What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?
no.What have you been trying to feed it?
I fed him pellets as instructed by the previous owner, but after reading forums I give him lettuce, watermelon and some freeze dried bloodworm (the only thing he seems to eat). When was the last time your turtle ate?
he probably ate proper food about 4 days ago. How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
10 x 10 x 17 inchesIs the tank near a window?
no.Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
mostly no. only during mealtimes. Have you read the Basic Care section?
yes. Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
yes. That helped me to start the dry docking and treating the shell rot with betadine. I tried to feed him more colourful plant-based food as well. Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
explained above.
