Urgent Care :: Turtle acting strange

[gabe3366]

Hi I am new to the forum. I have three res turtle's which i have had for a few years now (i bought them when they were 5-6 years old). They were doing fine until my female has started acting strange. Before this a couple of weeks ago my female and male have being displaying some mating stuff (i saw them doing there thing )
,however this has stopped about a week ago. So now my female has being acting strange, i have not seen her basking instead see is sleeping at the bottom of the tank while the other turtles are active and swimming around. So my question is, could she be sick, pregnant, etc..Her shell is about 6-7 inches, recently there uvb bulb burnt out but the strange activity started before it burnt out. The three turtles are in a 20 gallon tank (yes i know its small...there old tank broke and i don;t have enough money for a new one yet). They have a good filter and a basking dock however no heater. I did not realise they required a heater has they seemed fine with out it, the temperature is about 68. I do have a heater so i will put that in (its one of those glass tube style ones)

Also i went to my pet store and the uvb bulbs are around 25 bucks, is there some sort of "no-name" brand that i can get that is cheaper?....it seems quite expensive.
Thank you very much for reading this and any help would be much appreciated.

[gabe3366]

update: i just turned around and saw her basking however she is still acting strange

[gabe3366]

sorry i didn't notice the thread at the top

How big is your turtle? 6-7"
How long have you had it? few years, bought it when 5-6 years old

What is the water temperature? 68 (will be putting in heater)
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? no, but will
How much water is in there? about 12"
Are you using a water conditioner?no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? about 90
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yeas
What kind is it or what is it made out of? normal house bulb...100 watt
Is there a UVB light? no, it burnt out a few days ago, i will get a new one

What have you been trying to feed it? nutrafin turtle food, carrots, lettuce, etc...
When was the last time your turtle ate? everyday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallon (yes i know its small their old one broke, i am saving up money for a new one)
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? no, where can i find this?
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? acting strange, sleeping alot at bottom of tank, not basking very much, but she seems to be doing better

thanks

[steve]

If they have been mating, she will be gravid sooner than later. 3 RES in the tank you described is too small for just 1 RES, so you're looking at some huge and creative upgrades. Hopefully there is no aggression but that can change at anytime. The cheapest UVB bulbs I think are the Exo Terra Repti-glo 5.0. A good compact florescent UVB bulb will last 4-6 months before it needs replacement. Where do you live? If you live someplace warm enough, you might want to consider an outdoor pond/setup.

[gabe3366]

So you think see could be gravid?, at about 6-7" and maybe 6-7 years old. I do know that the tank is small and i am looking around for a good tank, I am thinking 100 gallon or even bigger. I can do a pond during the summer but in the winter it gets too cold (i live in toronto), i have considered a indoor pond but i am looking around for a good used tank. At my petstore their is only a 1 dollar difference in the 5.0 and 10.0, should i get the 10.0 ?

[steve]

If she is restless and ignores the usually attention she gives you, then it's very possible she's gravid. A Repti-Glo 10.0 should be fine but a Reptisun 10.0 might have too much output. To be honest, you should be looking at 300+ gallon tank and hope they get along.