Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 11:23 am YBS sleeping too much, low appetite eye issues
Hi, long time since I've posted here.
Subject: Female YBS
Symptoms: Refusing food, slow movement, sleeping too much, keeping her eyes closed too much.
Details:
I have two female YBS sharing a tank, but separated by a partition.
One of my turtles, Mordin, has been sick recently. It's been going on for around a week and it's taken me this long to be sure that something is genuinely wrong.
It started around a week ago with Mordin refusing food and sleeping for too long, which isn't unusual for her around this time of the year. She can be moody and she's refused food for over a week in November/December for the last two years. I =believe this behaviour is often a precursor to her laying eggs, or I've started to think that might be her body trying to brumate when it gets cold. Occasionally she would eat a little, but most of the time she has been leaving most of her food out. I responded by turning her heat up from 78 to 80 degrees. I thought this might help to wake her up.
(On Friday I noticed that the tank was dirty, possibly from the food she'd been leaving in the water, so I did a water change. Later in the day, I noticed that the filter was making a loud noise and that it had stopped running. When I primed it, sludge shot out of the outlet pipe and fouled up the water again. I did another water change. By yesterday the water was looking clear again.
Two days ago she spent most of the day awake, but she barely left the basking dock. She had her eyes open and she looked mostly fine, but late in the day I noticed white marks around her eyes that concerned me - they looked like a dried liquid. I worried this might be fungus and I took her out of the tank to clean her. I gave her a salt water bath as per a recommendation online and returned her to the tank. I haven't noticed this again since, but I've also not seen her basking.
Late Yesterday I started to get more worried. She's been sleeping with her head drooping down and seems to be struggling to keep her eyes open under water. She's often only opening her left eye and keeping her right eye closed. When she's out of the water she opens both eyes. At this point, it's hard for me to tell if there's any swelling or if this is due to some irritation, but she does keep rubbing her eyes. Fearing this was a vitamin A deficiency, I tried feeding her Kale (which she didn't eat) and shredded carrots. She actually ate a lot of the shredded carrots.
I read somewhere that turning the heat up to the lower-mid 80s would simulate a fever in case this was an RI, so I did that. This morning she'd eaten a lot of what I'd given her, but left a lot too. As a result, the water isn't looking too clear right now. I gave her more carrots and she ate most of them. I gave her a mixture of greens and I'm waiting to see what happens.
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How big is your turtle?
Shell length is about 5 inches
How long have you had it?
I think it's been 6 years, since she was a hatchling.
What is the water temperature?
Currently 83 degrees, usually around 78-80 degrees.
Did you use a thermometer?
Yes.
Are you using a water heater?
Yes,
How much water is in there?
55 gallons.
Are you using a water conditioner?
Yes.
Are you using any filtration?
Yes, a Sunsun filter designed for a 150 gal tank.
What is the basking temperature?
Unsure.
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?
It's one of those commercial plastic turtle toppers.
Is there a UVB light?
It's a full spectrum 100watt megaray bulb.
What have you been trying to feed it?
As staples; Red or green leaf lettuce and a mixture of various commercial pellets (reptomin flukers), some floating wheat germ pellets (koi fish pellets that were recommended to help shedding). Last night and today I fed her shredded carrots and part of a strawberry. a few days ago she ate some dried mealworms.
When was the last time your turtle ate?
This morning, though not very much.
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
55 gallons.
Is the tank near a window?
No.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
Not particularly.
Have you read the Basic Care section?
Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
Yes
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
She's been keeping her eyes closed and often only opening her left eye while under water. The other day while basking I noticed white marks that looked like dried watery stains around her eyes.