Urgent Care :: Just got a RES...HELP!

[joem1481]

Ok i orderd a RES online and it got ehre today. It has been out of the box for a few hours. He is in the water. I dont know if it was the trip or what but he is floated. He paddled once. Onpened his right eye a little. And came up for air twice. Also one eye is [----] and swollen but other then that i think he is fine. Is this activity normal when they come out of a box from a shipemnt like that. The temp is about 76 but i have the thermometer set for 83. What should i do he is cut and i dont want him to be dead or die, But he basically just sits there in the water. I took him out a few times and i could see him breathe then it looks like he stops. What should i do? Help?

[cam722]

You should contact the person you bought it from.. although chances are they don't know what the heck they are doing. What is your setup like, do you have a UVB/UVA light and a basking area for it to get out of the water? Do you have a thermometer to test the water/basking temps?

How was the turtle packed and where was it shipped from and by what method? Did it take DAYS to get to you or was it shipped overnight?

[joem1481]

well i have a 60 wat incadesent full spectrum heat lamp daylight made by esu reptile. He has shipped 2 day air in a plastic container with styrofoam around him to keep him from moving. He was just floating now he went to the bottom but he is just hanging out. I think he is either tired form the trip or they sedated him or something i am not sure but he is alive. I dont have a thermometer for monitoring the basking area. Bu i have a water thermometer and it is at 80 degrees

[cam722]

You need to make sure your light specifically says it's UVB.. full spectrum does NOT always mean it emits UVB rays. You can put a regular water thermometer on something on the basking area the height of your turtle to measure the temp. If it's not warm enough they won't bask. I can imagine he's totally stressed by being in a tiny container for 2 days. To me that's unacceptable for shipping something like a turtle. I'm assuming since he's not moving around much that he's not eating either??

Keep us posted.

[reptilegrrl]

The turtle is probably stressed. Leave him alone and do not handle him for awhile. Let him adjust. It is normal for him to be still and want to be left alone. Don't handle him, that will just stress him out more. For the first couple of days after I got my RES, he buried his head-end in his gravel and stayed like that, with his butt sticking out in the air. He was traumatized.

80' is too hot for the water. Please read through this site and have a look at the habitat requirements. Water should be about 76 for a hatchling. He also needs a UV light, a basking area, filtered water, etc.

His eye could be a problem. If it does not open and stop swelling within a day, he needs to see a vet. A vet checkup would be good anyway, to rule out parasites and other problems. His eye could be infected so if the swelling is not down by tomorrow, don't delay, see a vet!