Urgent Care :: Turtle wheezing while basking

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Post Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:38 pm   Turtle wheezing while basking

Hey,

I recently made a post about a turtle with RI. He passed away, but another turtle is still alive.

Yes, I know you will say, "If it was in the same tank as the other one, it might have RI", but she seems as though she has no other symptoms.

I took her to the vet (since she doesn't bask much and I wanted to do a checkup anyway), and the vet said to take her in the sun since she doesn't bask much.
Today I went outside and just let her bask. However, I noticed that there was a pretty quiet sound, and it sounded like something on the ground was being dragged kind of. It happened a couple times, and the turtle wasn't really opening her mouth. Could it still be a respiratory infection?

Thanks. I'll also fill this out again.
How big is your turtle? 2 inches in shell length. Almost 2 and a half.
How long have you had it? Since March.

What is the water temperature? About 78 Fahrenheit.
Did you use a thermometer? No.
Are you using a water heater? Yes.
How much water is in there? It's 2 inches high.
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes.
Are you using any filtration? Yes.

What is the basking temperature? Not sure.
Is there a basking light? Yes,
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes,
What kind is it or what is it made out of? ZooMed small turtle dock.
Is there a UVB light? Yes,

What have you been trying to feed it? Reptomin and Romaine Lettuce. Sometimes dried shrimp.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Eats perfectly fine. Fed her an hour ago.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallons right now, going to move her to a 60 gallon tank soon.
Is the tank near a window? Yes, usually closed though.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Not really. Only 3 people live in my house, and we don't usually go in the room.

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Sound as if something is being dragged along the ground, but very quiet.


P.S. I can take her to the vet, but I don't want to have to spend 70$ if it's only one symptom. If it's urgent, I probably can.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 6:15 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

Was it more like heavy breathing? Is the turtle overweight or a bit heavy?
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:55 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

steve wrote:Was it more like heavy breathing? Is the turtle overweight or a bit heavy?

The turtle is somewhat overfed, I stopped feeding her as much. though.

I'm not sure how to describe what it sounded like. My only way of describing it is that something sounded like it was being dragged along on a concrete floor.
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Post Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:56 am   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

That doesn't sound normal :(

Is she still doing it?
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Post Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:30 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

steve wrote:That doesn't sound normal :(

Is she still doing it?

I caught her doing it again. She only does it while basking in the sun. When she's indoors and basking on her platform (which she started doing again :)), she's fine. I'm not sure why I used that description earlier, because now that I've heard it again, it just sounds like exhaling. I picked her up a little while she was doing it, and her mouth is open slightly. Is she just dehydrated while basking in the sun?
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Post Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:34 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

It's possible. I once heard my male RES make some weird noise outside... can't recall what it sounded like, though I don't think it was that warm/hot.
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Post Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 2:45 am   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

steve wrote:It's possible. I once heard my male RES make some weird noise outside... can't recall what it sounded like, though I don't think it was that warm/hot.

So it's possible that's it's not a serious issue?
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:07 am   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

Well, hard to know what "dragged along on a concrete floor" is... I've heard croaks, and chirps before. Unusual, but isolated, not reoccurring and no other symptoms.

Probably any wheezing (obstructed) sounds need immediate examination and attention.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:19 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

steve wrote:Well, hard to know what "dragged along on a concrete floor" is... I've heard croaks, and chirps before. Unusual, but isolated, not reoccurring and no other symptoms.

Probably any wheezing (obstructed) sounds need immediate examination and attention.

Discard that description. I used an inaccurate description lol. Basically, it sounds like exhaling. Only happens when she's outside. It also happens to my friend's turtle, and makes the same sound.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:06 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

I don't think I would worry about it, but keep an eye out for other symptoms.
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:24 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

steve wrote:I don't think I would worry about it, but keep an eye out for other symptoms.

I read some stuff about turtles hissing, and I noticed that my turtle only makes the sound when I pick her up or if she's scared. I searched up videos of turtles hissing and my turtle basically does that. So it's possible that she's just scared?
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:25 pm   Re: Turtle wheezing while basking

It's possible, I don't think they will ever completely trust humans :)
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