This topic could turn into a lengthy one. I'll try to keep it brief. If we need to spin-off topics, I'm good with that.
We prepared a home for turtles: It's a 40 gallon tank. The water depth is about 3 1/2". The dry land to water is 50/50. We monitored temps for a while 95 in the basking area, 80's in other areas, and the water ranges from 74 to 76. That done for a few weeks, we ordered two spotted turtles from a well-known source.
When they arrived, one was zippy and active, the other was very sluggish. It turned out that the slow one couldn't use its back legs and one eye seemed always closed. After a few days, they ate after my wife used a tupperware container as a turtle cafe. The slow one never used its legs and eventually died.
Now the active one is sluggish. It may be eating when we can't see- we leave it in the feeding tray for a while at a time. I really expected it to be gone by now.
I suspect that they were injured during shipping. They were shipped in a foam box, each in its own one pint tupperware "Chinese Soup" container. There was a single paper towel in the bottom of each container but nothing to prevent them from being tossed about inside the containers. Contacting the breeder was an exercise in reciting tank temperatures, but the subject of "paralyzed rear legs" yielded silence. I was never able to speak to anyone on the phone- all email.
I'm on my own here. We chose these guys for their size and their reputed simple care requirements. I really want to succeed at this.
Any advice or questions are well-received.
