Urgent Care :: what should I do??!!

[Tarakhanam]

My little Red Eared Turtle Goofy hasn't been eating. He keeps his eyes closed too. Mostly he keeps his left eye closed and does not open. He opens his right eye just a little. I try to feed him but he just won't eat. He sleeps a lot now too. I take him out of the water to see if he would open his eyes but he doesn't. He walks or swims with his eyes closed. He also doesn't use his back legs much. I keep the water temp about 78 degrees, I have a big tank which I clean twice a day since I don't have filter. I keep the water conditioned and also put him out in the sun for an hour or so most of the time. I don't know what to do and what is wrong with him. My second turtle Donald is little bigger than Goofy and he eats and swims very well. I'm so worried, what should I do please help. also Goofy is about 1 or 2 inches long and I had him for almost a year and hes been acting like this past 2 weeks now HELP PLEASE!!

Tara

[dumbork14]

Hi. Do you have any access to a vet? Are they kept together in one tank?

[Tarakhanam]

No, I don't have access to a vet or a herp unfortunately Also yes both of my turtle are kept together in the tank but I was thinking to separate them. should I separate them?

[Kurtni]

No, I don't have access to a vet or a herp unfortunately Also yes both of my turtle are kept together in the tank but I was thinking to separate them. should I separate them?

Anytime a turtle gets sick, it's a good idea to separate it and quarantine it away from any other animals. You don't want the illness to spread.

Could you post a picture of his eyes. Are the eyes swollen or puffy? The water conditioner could be irritating his eyes (it's not recommended to use those).

If you answer these questions about your tank setup, someone may be able to give you some more specific advice

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Did you use a thermometer?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[Tarakhanam]

How big is your turtle? goofy is about 2 inches
How long have you had it? almost 1 year

What is the water temperature? 78 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? no, I try to keep the water very slightly warm
How much water is in there? about 2 gallon
Are you using a water conditioner? yes but very little
Are you using any filtration? No I don't have filter, I clean it twice a day

Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes there is, it luks like 3 step platform wit fake leaves attached. goofy likes to hide under those leaves since hes always trying to hide under by donald (my second turtle who i got first)

What kind is it or what is it made out of? its make of rock or ceramic (im not entirely sure)
Is there a UVB light? No, I usually put them under sun light in the morning, they seem to like that.

What have you been trying to feed it? both my turtles, get shrimp, chicken (not raw), mix pallets which they barely eat. I also have small piece of cuttlebone which i leave that only my big turtle nibbles on every not n then.

When was the last time your turtle ate? last he ate was two weeks ago. I still try putting the food in front of him but he doesn't touch it.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? its a medium size plastic tank. I'm planning on getting on a bigger glass one soon.

Is the tank near a window? Yes it is near the window but I keep only one window slightly open since its summer time but day time they get the sunlight that way.

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes it does have room for them to swim but as I said i will get bigger one by end of this week for more space.

Have you read the Basic Care section? No I'm sorry to say I didn't read but I will by tom.

Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes I have actually. Someone had the same problem as me and the answer he received was that his turtle might have eye infection due to Vitamin A deficiency and to buy a eye drop. I'm wondering if i should try the same since I don't have a herp or a vet anywhere where I live.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Well goofy doesn't really use his back legs to swim. I mean he can move them but he rather drags them most of the time and hes sleeping a lot now too which I never seen him sleep as much before and hes the active one out of both my turtles.


I will try to post pictures of Goofy.. since I'm new here, I'm trying to figure out how to upload pics still.

[Tarakhanam]

How do I Post up pictures?? I'm confused on that..

[steve]

See the link in my signature for image posting. If it's a small pic, click on the Full Editor link to upload an attachment directly. You can also email it to me and I will upload it for you. redearslider@gmail.com

I would separate as soon as you can. Some questions... are his eyes swollen? How are you cleaning the tank? 2 gallons is way too small, they should be a 40 gallon tank by now (20 for each turtle, if they are around 2"). They also won't be getting any beneficial UVB since glass will filter it out. I would not keep a tank near a window.

You can try cod-liver oil or the Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops but I would make sure you have a vet you can go to. Where are you located?

[Tarakhanam]

ok I got it, I will post the pics by tonight. Hes eyes aren't really swollen but just he keeps them shut. I will get bigger tank and UVB light too. I live in Kensington in Brooklyn, NY.

[Tarakhanam]

[Tarakhanam]

[steve]

Have you tried the drops or oil yet? If it was a Vitamin A deficiency, it would work quickly.

For vets, I've posted this recently:

People on this forum have taken their turtles to:
Animal Medical Center - http://amcny.org
The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine - http://avianandexoticvets.com
St Marks Veterinary (ask for Dr. Luk) - http://stmarksvet.com
Old Country Animal Clinic in Plainview (ask for Dr. Monaco) - http://oldcountryanimalclinic.com

[Tarakhanam]

Honestly no I didn't buy yet because, I have to wait to get paid which won't be till friday