Urgent Care

Hi!

I just got 2 baby RES today at a pet store. They're as big as a 50 cents singaporean coin. One of the terrapins has a VERY soft shell. I tried to look for the most active RES, with the least pyramiding but when i got home i saw that one of it had tiny holes on the shell, brown ones but it doesn't look deep, quite superficial actually. Should i be worried? Is there any home remedies i could do?

Secondly, when i placed it in my small tank (getting a bigger one soon), it swims funny. Lopsided, it tries to right itself but it gets lopsided still. I immediately quarantined this little fellow for fear that it might be having something contagious. But this little trooper is active, though it would close its eyes at times. He eats whatever i put in his container. He munched on lettuce leaves and finished off quite a big pellet, even picking off crumbs from the bottom of the container.

My question is, what do i do now? I can't really afford a vet right now so are there any home remedies/treatments? Is it RI even though it's still quite active? Do i just observe over the next few days? I'm really worried for my terrapin, i don't want to lose this little guy, i just got him

Also, my boyfriend got himself 2 terrapins too, they're much bigger than mine, probably 2 inches, or 2 and a half. One of it seems to be half floating. It's quite lethargic, but seems to be active at one point. The lower half of its body was floating while sleeping. Is this called listing?

Please help us! We've always wanted to raise terrapins together.

They may have RI, and it is contagious. Keep an eye out for onset of lethargy, and try to separate them from the healthy ones for now.

I've never heard of lopsided swimming without lethargy, though, so have you checked their legs for injuries? Also, I think it's possible but unlikely that they swallowed air and have excess gas buildup in part of their bodies. I doubt it, though.

What are your water and basking temperatures? For the lopsided swimmers, bump water up 80 or even 82F. Basking should stay around 90F or so.

As for the shell, if you could post pictures we would appreciate it! Fungus and rot don't usually attack hatchlings, but I suppose anything is possible. Also, many hatchlings have softer/pliable shells.

It's good that he's eating. Is the lopsided swimming always to the same side? Can he submerge himself?

Hi, Jeremiah! I haven't checked the legs for injuries but when i placed it in a bigger tank, it seemed to be able to swim fine. It's quite a fast little fellow but i think he gets tired easily and closes his eye. He ate the lettuce i left in his container. And today he ate all the pellets i gave him. I then placed him in the smaller container cause i was scared he might drown and his neck was outstretched. And yeah, to separate him from my other little one. I haven't gotten a thermometer but i'll be purchasing one soon!! Just piecing my tank together slowly!

Hey, steve! Nope it's not always to onside. It's like he's always off balanced. Yep he seems to be able to submerge himself.

Thank you so much for replying! I hope you can see the pictures!

Does he make any weird noises when breathing?

He doesn't.

His energy level dropped drastically today. Lethargy is kicking in with vengeance it seems

I'm really scared that i may lose him today?

Why does this happen? From the pet shop they look so active, swimming here and there. When brought to some other place, they're active for a day or two and then suddenly loses energy. Is it cause they can't adapt to the new environment? Or do they already have the sickness to begin with?

He's still eating? We do believe many are sick at these stores to begin with. RES are also good at hiding illnesses, so it makes it difficult to get them treatment.

I placed him in warm water yesterday but it took awhile for him to move around. I dropped pellets infront of him and he started to sniff awhile before eating. He snapped off quite abit from 2-3 reptomin sticks.

Sigh...i see

Are you leaving him overnight in the isolation container? That water will cool down really quickly, and may be exacerbating the problem. I would get a 10 gallon tank from Craigslist, and put him in there with an appropriate heater.

I don't know if this sounds like a stupid question,apologies if it does, would he drown in the 10 gallon tank? I got my water heater!

If you're worried about drowning, you could just buy a piece of driftwood or other decoration tall enough to reach the water surface. Small turtles usually get around just fine, but yours seems a bit tired at the moment, so it would probably appreciate the help!

Urgent Care :: Swimming lopsided but still active. What's wrong?

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