Brazil tortoise twitches after pneumonia treatment (China)

Anita Lin

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Dear friends,
Many thanks for reading this mail.

I'm a girl from China, you can call me Anita. My family and I are distressed recently, because our tortoise is ill. And there is very few doctors which are specialized in tortoises in Wuxi City, China, so we want to ask you for help, pls help my Brazil tortoise.

Most people feel that the Brazil tortoise is not expensive and very common, but we treat it like the member of our family, we have a deep love to it, it's not only a animal, but also a life.
About two weeks ago, we found it open its mouth to breathe, also there is a air bubble on its nose, and it became lethargic. We thought it must be ill, and took it to the local pet hospital. It had an X-ray, and the doctor told me that there was a few white shadow on tortoise's one lung, and he inferred that my tortoise got a mild pneumonia, then we left it in hospital for medical treatments. We considered it must be ok now, when the doctor called us that our tortoise is recovered. However, when it came back home, we found it was strange and weak. Its four limbs became stiff and forceless, the front arms splay instead of shrinking at it sides. Its head twitches back (back to body) every little while, and at the same time its arms will twitch together. We found it's uncomfortable, and we searched on the Internet to try to find out the reason which bring out these symptoms. However, there is almost no answers for it, the only one which I think maybe possibe is that my tortoise had excessive Amoxicillin, but the doctor deny that he hasn't give it Amoxicillin. So we really don't know what should do and how to make the kiddy recover, and all of us don't want to look at it slowly died, could you pls help with my tortoise?

Many thanks for reading this mail, also many thanks for helping us.
Thank you!


Yours truly,
Anita Lin
 

JoesMum

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Hello Anita

I am so sorry to here about your tortoise.

Please could you post a photograph of it so we can understand exactly which species you have and give you the correct advice

Photographs of the enclosure that your tortoise lives in and any lamps that you use will also help us to help you.
 

Anita Lin

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Hello Anita

I am so sorry to here about your tortoise.

Please could you post a photograph of it so we can understand exactly which species you have and give you the correct advice

Photographs of the enclosure that your tortoise lives in and any lamps that you use will also help us to help you.

Hi, JoesMum
Many thanks for your reply.

As I'm a newcomer to this thread, I don't know how to upload the photos, so could you pls leave your email address?
I think I can send them to you by email, also with the video.

There is no artificial illuminations and heating units in its house, the temperature is about 13 ℃, the water level is under its mouth.

I'm here waiting for your kind reply, many thanks!


Anita
 

Anita Lin

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Hello Anita

I am so sorry to here about your tortoise.

Please could you post a photograph of it so we can understand exactly which species you have and give you the correct advice

Photographs of the enclosure that your tortoise lives in and any lamps that you use will also help us to help you.

Hi, friend
I have got how to upload these photos, pls check them.

Its arms and legs are rigid, with twitching when its head twitches, what has happened to it?

viewfile (1).jpg viewfile.jpg IMG_9244(20161108-202937).jpg IMG_9245(20161108-202945).jpg IMG_9246(20161108-202954).jpg IMG_9247(20161108-203004).jpg IMG_9248(20161108-203015).jpg IMG_9249(20161108-203021).jpg
 

JoesMum

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It's a water turtle/slider and I don't have any experience with those. I am so sorry. Hopefully someone who does will be around soon.
 

Aunt Caffy

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Hi, JoesMum
Many thanks for your reply.

As I'm a newcomer to this thread, I don't know how to upload the photos, so could you pls leave your email address?
I think I can send them to you by email, also with the video.

There is no artificial illuminations and heating units in its house, the temperature is about 13 ℃, the water level is under its mouth.

I'm here waiting for your kind reply, many thanks!


Anita
That temperature seems awfully low for a reptile. Is your turtle eating?
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Anita, and welcome to the Forum!

Your little turtle is called Trachemys scripta elegans, or the common name - Red ear slider. It sounds like the vet overdosed the animal. All you can do is wait and see. In the meantime, place the turtle in a smaller, hospital tank and keep the water temperature about 80F degrees. I don't know how well an under-the-tank heater would work to keep the temperature up, but they make in-the-water heaters for aquariums. If the turtle was not sick, the water temperature should be around 70F, but because he's sick you want it a lot warmer to help him fight off the 'germs.'

I hope this little turtle can shake off his sickness and get well. Good luck, and please keep us informed.
 
Last edited:

Aunt Caffy

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80 degrees Fahrenheit is 26.7 degrees Celsius.
 

Anita Lin

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That temperature seems awfully low for a reptile. Is your turtle eating?

Hi, friend, thanks for your attention. It didn't eat food during the middle of September, and others of my Brazil tortoises didn't have food at the same time, we think they were ready to hibernate early. At that time, it was healthy and it got the pneumonia about 18 days ago.

Now I'm ready to put it into a heating room after coming back home...
 

Aunt Caffy

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Hi, friend, thanks for your attention. It didn't eat food during the middle of September, and others of my Brazil tortoises didn't have food at the same time, we think they were ready to hibernate early. At that time, it was healthy and it got the pneumonia about 18 days ago.

Now I'm ready to put it into a heating room after coming back home...
Your little guy will need to eat during his recovery. What's his name?
 

Anita Lin

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Hi Anita, and welcome to the Forum!

Your little turtle is called Trachemys scripta elegans, or the common name - Red ear slider. It sounds like the vet overdosed the animal. All you can do is wait and see. In the meantime, place the turtle in a smaller, hospital tank and keep the water temperature about 80F degrees. I don't know how well an under-the-tank heater would work to keep the temperature up, but they make in-the-water heaters for aquariums. If the turtle was not sick, the water temperature should be around 70F, but because he's sick you want it a lot warmer to help him fight off the 'germs.'

I hope this little turtle can shake off his sickness and get well. Good luck, and please keep us informed.

Hi, friend, thanks for your suggestions. The doctor in the pet hospital here is not professional in this domain, he can't show us any reasons why our tortoise is ill like this, so this is why we want to ask for help on the Internet. And we have a heating unit, I will put it in a relatively warm environment first, seting about 26-28 ℃... Many thanks for your help, we will update its status here, thanks for your attention. :<3:
 

bouaboua

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Hi, friend, thanks for your suggestions. The doctor in the pet hospital here is not professional in this domain, he can't show us any reasons why our tortoise is ill like this, so this is why we want to ask for help on the Internet. And we have a heating unit, I will put it in a relatively warm environment first, seting about 26-28 ℃... Many thanks for your help, we will update its status here, thanks for your attention. :<3:
Hello Anita: How are you??

Where are you located? what city you lives in I mean. I ask this question because people from China are calling the Red Ear Slider " Brazilian Turtles. "巴西龟". And most vet in China are not familiar how to care or cure the reptiles. If you able to read Chinese. There are some forums in China may provide some advice or help.
 

Anita Lin

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Hello Anita: How are you??

Where are you located? what city you lives in I mean. I ask this question because people from China are calling the Red Ear Slider " Brazilian Turtles. "巴西龟". And most vet in China are not familiar how to care or cure the reptiles. If you able to read Chinese. There are some forums in China may provide some advice or help.

Hi, bouaboua, thanks for your help. :<3: I'm in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province.
Yes, I can speak Chinese, and in China we call it "巴西龟". I have check it on some webs in China, there is almost none useful info, but I won't give up.

Deeply thank you!
 

bouaboua

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Hi, bouaboua, thanks for your help. :<3: I'm in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province.
Yes, I can speak Chinese, and in China we call it "巴西龟". I have check it on some webs in China, there is almost none useful info, but I won't give up.

Deeply thank you!

May I suggest that you check out this forum?

龟友之家的水龟版块?
http://bbs.cngui.com/forum-2-1.html

If you are not a member of 龟友之家, and you'll like to become one, you need a invitation code.
Here is the invitation code that may help you to register.

http://www.cngui.com/home.php?mod=invite&id=1210&c=c1ii81
 

Anita Lin

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May I suggest that you check out this forum?

龟友之家的水龟版块?
http://bbs.cngui.com/forum-2-1.html

If you are not a member of 龟友之家, and you'll like to become one, you need a invitation code.
Here is the invitation code that may help you to register.

http://www.cngui.com/home.php?mod=invite&id=1210&c=c1ii81
Hi, friend
Thank you so much, I have checked this forum, there are many posts on it, I will try to post a thread on it. Many thanks for your help. Any news, I will write here, thank you :)
 

bouaboua

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Hi, friend
Thank you so much, I have checked this forum, there are many posts on it, I will try to post a thread on it. Many thanks for your help. Any news, I will write here, thank you :)
Best wishes! ! ! ! ;);)
 

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