Urgent Care :: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

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Post Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:48 pm   Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

Okay, I'm going to start this off by describing her prior living situation to see if this helps for whatever reason.

I have had a MASSIVE female RES for about 2 years now, and before I got her, her living quarters were pretty rough. She was in a VERY thin and long 40 gallon tank, so she was not able to move from the 'basking' area that they had put in place (It was a slab of concrete with an LED lightbulb above her), and the water had not been changed since they had her and was only maybe 2 inches tall, and it was green. They said they had her for 12 years, and I have no clue how she held on that long.

When she came to my house, it was because the previous owner's house caught on fire, so she was in VERY rough shape, she had shell rot, foot infections, and she was ridiculously mean.
2 years later, she lives in a 75-gallon tank with a proper setup out in place, and he shell rot and feet infections are completely healed!

She has not been the nicest turtle, but she will let me pick her up and let her under her chin, other than that she will hiss and try to attack my hands.
Recently, she has stopped eating, and the ONLY thing that she will eat are the little floater balls that you put in for them to chase, and she only eats about a quarter of them.
I was scrubbing her shell off today, and I noticed that she could care less where I touched her. I pet her on her head (which she usually would try to bite my hand off for) and she made no reaction at all. I touched her little fat by her neck, and she also did not care, and THAT is what started to get me worried.
Does anyone know what's wrong with her? :(

Info about her:

-She is a little over 10 inches
-I have had her for 2 years now

-The water temperature is at a constant 78 degrees
-I have a thermometer both in the basking area and in the water
-I forgot what heater I use, but I'm pretty sure it's one by Aqueon
-There's a little over half of the 75 gallon filled
-I use Repti Safe for water conditioned
-The filter being used is a Marineland Magniflow Canister 360 GPH

-Basking temp is 86
-There is both a basking light and a UVB light
-Her basking area is very easily accessible
-I made the basking area by using aquarium safe silicone, and basically glued two thoroughly cleaned bricks together, and then I put a store-bought foam basking rock.

-I feed her Omega One adult turtle sticks, river shrimp, Zoo Med aquatic turtle food, and turtle chasers
-The last time that she ate the food I gave her was last week, but 2 days ago she took a single bite out of a turtle chaser treat

-The tank is 75 gallons
-She is not near a window
-The room that she is in usually has a decent amount of activity in it

I've searched for any other turtle that has been like this online, and I haven't seen anything that included behavioral changes as well. :(
Does anybody know what's wrong with my big girl?
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Post Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 4:57 pm   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

Not sure if what you described is diagnosable from my end. I would probably have a vet check her out, maybe run some tests. Is she lethargic?
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:21 am   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

As Steve said , as described not diagnosable. Observe more. Can be a result of many things , a herp vet can run test to find out for sure. After most of her adult life agitated and mean from the prior owner in poor a habitat she may be calming down in her better new home? Also there taste changes with food over time. Offer other foods.
Just because the visible shell rot and foot infections cleared up does not mean an infection not still in the blood stream. So a herp vet for blood work to be sure ! Before this new problem ever see her go nuts trying to escape ? Any action by her to dig with her hind feet earlier on ? May of had complications in her egg production. Old egg's binding /broken in her. So a herp vet to do x-rays for that ! Female's slow down and even stop eating when eggs are growing in them to make room for them. Did you check for eggs ?
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Post Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 8:02 pm   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

She did try to lay eggs last year, but nothing happened.
She's still moving around a lot, and she has ALWAYS acted crazy and looked like she was trying to escape. I'll see if there are any exotic vets in my area for her.
I'm just really concerned because of her behavioral changes, I've never seen her so friendly in her life! It worried me a lot, but I'll see what I can do for now and keep you guys updated!
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Post Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:10 pm   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

Habitat changes and even infections can cause behavioral changes in people and turtles too ! Last time was an x-ray done to see how many eggs may of been retained if any since nothing happened ? A shot of oxytocin would have induced the process . Egg laying is not always easy for them or go right all the time. Back then did you notice any discharge or swelling around the cloaca , watch for that this time. In a good habitat along with a healthy female she could have 3 or 4 clutches in a season. It takes the body some time to dissolve problems if it can. Even one may have been decaying in her slowly and now seeing the effect. Things happen in turtles long before most beginners see a problem. Observing and preventing is the key ! See a Herp Vet , Yes ! Because behavioral changes can be caused by a lot of things and for your peace of mind too !
Have you checked her yourself yet for eggs? If you lucky can feel them using proper technique.
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:44 pm   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

I've actually never taken her to the vet before, so I'm not sure if any eggs (if any) were retained. She never had any discharge, but it did get VERY hard the first time she attempted to lay eggs. It may have been me moving her rocks and heater around that got her acting all funny, but I'll keep an eye out for any more activity that is funny. I'll see if there's a vet in my area that can do an x-ray to check for any decaying eggs!
xgumbox
 
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Post Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 12:53 pm   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

Okay, so her condition has gotten worse :(
Her entire area by her tail is bright red, she still isn't eating, she's basking A LOT more, and her eyes look bigger and like they are popping out of her head. I can't find a vet in my area that treats res, and I'm very worried about her.
Someone please help :( I don't want my baby to die
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Post Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 1:05 pm   Re: Turtle not eating, and also nicer?

Try this link : http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist
Click on your state for names.
Also has links for other country's.
Even try spca , rescue centers , a zoo and or nature centers....
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