Urgent Care :: SUDDEN CHANGE IN BEHAVIOUR.

[Turtel1]

i posted my problem on the wrong panel so.. i'll just post it here

I have two turtles. And one of my turtles has been having this off behaviour lately. She's not eating, she has puffy eyes (eyes closed), she's barely moving and he wasn't like this the first few days I've had him. This started on the 4th day I've had him. She's still a hatchling too. For the first 2 days i fed them turtle sticks/pellets. Then on the 3rd day I started to add carrots to their diet and squash on the 7th day.

She's an inch in diameter.
I've had her for 9 days, so this has been going on for 5 days.

The water is around 24 C' - 25' C (but drops at 23 C' at night and lowest I remember would be 21 C')
Yep, I use a thermometer.
I don't use a heater. I live in the tropics (Philippines) so the water temperature is normally at 24 C')
My tank is a 12x6x8 (LxWxH) so roughly it has 6 gallons of water in it.
My water conditioner is from API Turtle.
The filter I use is from JEBO (501 super mini external filter)

Their basking temp is at 31 C'.
I have a 18W basking bulb.
Yes they have a platform where they can climb on easily.
It's made out of Styrofoam. (should I change it?)
Yup I also have UV bulb from EXO TERRA

I've been feeding it turtle pellets, squash and carrots.
Last time it ate that I know of would be 3 days ago.

12x6x8 (LxWxH)
It's near a window but not directly.
The tank is in my room and I got to work during the day. So I doubt if there is activity in the room.

I read it but not everything.
I haven't searched for similar situations. But from what I've read, possibilities are this is a respiratory infection or hypovitaminosis A.

My turtle opens its eyes once in a while but when she sees me she closes them right away. Now I kinda think she's scared of me. And she doesn't swim. She just floats around the tank and occasionally raises her head to breathe in air. Which sometimes gives me the impression she wants to drown.

My other turtle is perfectly fine which is really odd because they're within the same tank. And I'm scared my baby turtle will give up. (
I also want to take her to a vet but as of the moment. I don't have enough resources for that. I spent most of my money on the equipments for his new home. (
I have also separated them because the other turtle might injure her further or he might get infected if ever she's sick. My first theory was she's hibernating which I doubt.

What's the best thing to do in this situation?

[cutepanda86]

Can you post pictures of the basking platform and your turtle? Styrofoam can be harmful if ingested - does it look like there are parts of it missing?

The styrofoam wouldn't cause eye problems so I would advise a vet visit. Have you tried dry docking? It might help as a stop gap until you can get to the vet.

Good call on separating them.

[Jeremiah]

The shallow water, warm temperature, puffy eyes, and lethargy point to some kind of bacterial infection. If you aren't already doing so, I strongly encourage you to do daily water changes until you get enough money for a stronger filter--you never want anything called "super mini" in charge of turtle water.

Another possible reason for the puffy eyes is your UV bulb. Is it a compact, or a fluorescent tube? The compacts have been known to cause eye problems, especially at close range.

[Turtel1]

If it were cause by a bacterial infection, wouldn't the UV have taken care of that? I heard it's supposed to kill bacteria.. But anyways. I'll just look for turtle eye drops to remedy her eyes as of the moment and once i get to save enough, i'll bring her to a vet so that i can get a proper diagnosis on what's going on.

The uv is quite fr from the tank, more or less 10 inches from it. And the basking light was quite bring from the beginning so what i did was i put a paper in front of it so bright light would be filtered and now it seems dimmer.

I also bring them out to at least get sight of the sun in the afternoon and let them bask under it before it sets. I just get hurt whenever i see her so lifeless and down..

[Jeremiah]

Great question, Turtel1! The UV approach to killing bacteria actually utilizes a different spectrum of light--UVC, which is dangerous to all organisms. Reptile bulbs produce UVB and UVA, which are healthy for turtles' shell and (broadly speaking) psychological health, respectively.

The eye drops are a great idea. Try to get the ones manufactured by Zoo Med, if you can. I also don't think you need to put anything in front of the light to "filter" it--that defeats the purpose of having one. Positioning it higher up would help more than the paper. Just be sure to keep the temperatures appropriate.

I didn't know about the outdoor sun exposure. That is a fantastic way to give them UV light. I assume it's at least 65-70F when you bring them outdoors--if it's significantly colder than that, though, it may have contributed to RI. Are there any other symptoms? Watch out for awkward swimming, wheezing/squeaking sounds when breathing, "gaping" (holding its mouth open frequently, especially above water), going off-feed, and mucous around the mouth or nose.

[steve]

I'd shut the UVB light off for now. Do you have a regular basking light (they produce heat)?

[Turtel1]

Thanks for the tips guys! I'll update you about my turtle soon. as for the other symptoms, she just floats around and doesnt swim, and she hasnt eaten anything.

[steve]

If she cannot see, she won't eat. If you can't find eyedrops try some cod liver oil.