General Care Discussion :: My turtle fell

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 8:40 am   My turtle fell

Hey!

So i was going to visit my mom from friday evening to saturday evening, but all of my trains back home were cancelled over the entire weekend so I just came back this monday morning. So not only did my turtle have to be alone for 3 days, but when i came back i noticed Rodeo Billy was out of her tank. She must've climbed on top of her basking spot and then fell down onto the tile floor. As i picked her up i was looking for any damage on her entire body but nothing seems to have been broken or cracked or sliced open anywhere. I put Rodeo Billy back in the tank and she seems okay and is swimming good but she seems tired. She ate just fine and even ate some veggies. So she seems to be doing okay but I'm worried because obviously i don't know how long she's been out of her tank or maybe something is internally wrong. Do I take her to the vet immediately or should I just make sure to keep a close eye on her?

please help me

(My turtle is a red eared slider, about five years old but i've only had her for about 8 months. She's always been healthy and i never had to go to the vet before!)
mitfrit
 
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 9:06 am   Re: My turtle fell

Just keep an eye out for other symptoms and change of appetite. But, check out herp vets in your area in case you ever need them in the future... the last thing you want to do in an emergency is looking for a new one. Also, find a way to secure your tank... it's usually easy to do.
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steve
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 9:37 am   Re: My turtle fell

I've been searching online for the best solution for my type of tank to make sure she can't fall anymore! I just had a plexi border which i thought was tall enough to keep her from climbing out. She had been resting on a rock for a while and is basking now so she is still acting normal
mitfrit
 
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 11:23 am   Re: My turtle fell

Can you post a picture of your tank?
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steve
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 10:58 pm   Re: My turtle fell

How long is your turtle's shell from head to tail? The size of a turtle plays a huge factor into how well they can escape. In order to keep my 11 inch long female from escaping, I keep her water three inches below the rim of the aquarium. As a rule of thumb, the water level should be lower than the aquarium rim equal to 1/4 of your turtle's length. In other words, if you have an 8 inch long turtle, then the water level should be two inches below the rim (8 divided by 4 is 2). If your turtle's shell length is an odd number, like 7, just round it up by one and divide by 4.

If this seems super duper weird I understand, it's just that less than 1/4 of a turtle's shell length is all they need to lift themselves up enough to grab on with their back leg and escape any tank. I have learned this the hard way.

It also helps to have a basking dock that has a turtle proof barrier around it, and a ramp that is not too close to the tank walls. This thread: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15260 has some excellent examples of basking docks that prevent escape.
Spike - Egyptian mau mix, 8 years old
Phryne - Japanese bobtail, 9 months old
Hurricane - RES, 8 yo, 6 1/2 in. long
Typhoon - RES/Map hybrid, 8 yo, 7 in. long
Sadie - RES, 20 yo, 10 in. long
Sophie - Colombian red tail boa, 5 yo, 5 ft. long
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theartbook35
 
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Post Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:39 am   Re: My turtle fell

I cant post a picture of my tank as I don't have any and I don't have a smartphone or something! I made sure she's not able to escape anymore and i'm looking for a better basking platform :) she's been doing great and hasn't shown any changes in her behaviour. I did notice a small spot on het shell that she's never had before so i took her to the vet and he gave me treatment for it. It should heal in a few weeks/months. He didn't notice anything else out of the ordinary and she appeared to be healthy to him, so i'm not worrying about it anymore
mitfrit
 
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