Help needed urgently!!

[Abhi]

OK RIGHT NOW HES UP ON HIS ROCK WITH HIS HEAD DIPPED IN WATER.... WAT DOES THIS MEAN???

 

[AmRoKo]

His eyes look really swollen to me. Maybe hes doing that because they hurt and hes trying to get away from whatever light source is there? That water is also much too shallow like others have said. Also his basking area needs to be warm enough for him to dry his body completely.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

If he were mine, I would put him in a different container with a jar of strained carrots and some warm water. Soak him everyday for about 30 minutes in the carrot water. Strained carrots have a goodly amount of Vit A in them, and I believe that is part of your problem. To me that's probably what the swollen eyes mean.You need to warm (and fill up) his water so it's 80 degrees, give him something live to eat. He needs to be kept better. His basic needs are not being met, and I realize that's not your fault, but you are the one who's either gonna make him better or watch him die. We are all trying to help you and tell you what he needs...

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum and I was sad to hear about your turtle's situation. At the same time I agree with those who adviced you to put it in the SUN. I personally have a Greek tortoise and take it out in the sun and I can assure you and everyone else in the forum that it enjoys it. Take care and good luck.

 

[Abhi]

Hi, thnks for the help guys...

so tomorrow il fill up his tank with some fresh water and strained carrots,, put him in some sulight..

also can u suggest some meds or anything to save this guys life....


id be very dissapointed if i dint give it my best..

 

[Abhi]

also can someone tell me his breed if possible...

 

[tortdad]

I believe the Species is D. reticularia or closely related. He is not eating but this is not because of his eyes being swollen shut. His eyes are swollen shut because he stopped eating. He stopped eating because he's not warm enough to digest food. Your last picture shows a turtle on the brink of death. The medicine he needs is to warm up and get some vitamins in him. Don't add baby food to his tank, that's far too messy. You need to set him up a hospital tank. This can be a plastic bowl with warm water and baby food (carrot). Let him soak for 30 mins under a heat lamp or in the sun. Turtles can absorb the vitamins through there skin. His permanent tank needs more water and some sort of dock that he can climb on that is under a basking lamp.



0.0.1 Redfoot (Spike)
0.0.1 Cherryhead Redfoot (Bruce Wayne)
1.0 Sulcata (Hal Jordan)

 

[HAWK]

also can someone tell me his breed if possible...

red ear slider

 

[tglazie]

He is suffering either from vitamin A deficiency, an eye infection, or (most likely) both. Unfortunately, this is caused by many factors. First off, I don't see an adequate haul out basking area. Red eared sliders need a land area, preferably one made of wood or some plastic composite (zoo med sells a turtle dock, if I'm not mistaken, that's usually good up until the turtle reaches six inches; after that, some water worn wood or a large piece of cork bark is good). Next, they need some form of lighting in their tank. Even a high wattage incandescent bulb will work, so long as they get a few hours exposure to sunlight every week. They also need some sort of filtration system. Unless you are prepared to change a large volume of water on a daily or three times weekly basis (at the minimum), I strongly advise acquiring a power filter, the biggest one you can afford. Also, his water needs to be deeper. I find this species of turtle swimming about my native southern U.S. in water that is fifteen to twenty feet deep. Without water volume for swimming, these turtles generally fail to thrive.

Now, as an alternative to getting all of this equipment, you can keep this guy outdoors. You will still have to do the water changes, but if you buy a large kid's pool or any plastic container that can hold in excess of 500 liters, you will only have to change the water once per week. You can buy filters for large pools like this, and if you do that, you will have to change the water less frequently. Make sure he has a basking area in this pool, and keep in mind that a pool sitting under direct sunlight will get hot, so keep it in an area that is shaded most of the day. And when I say shaded, I mean high shade. You can't just lay a board over your kiddie pool and expect it to stay cool. You will need the shade of a tree or some shade-cloth screening. As you are in Mumbai, I'm uncertain as to what is available in the way of this. Keep in mind that if your pool is sitting below a tree, it will collect leaves and attract birds. To avoid this, you can place screening material held in place by a wooden frame. It doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to function properly.

Ultimately, you may be asking yourself if this is even worth your time and effort, especially if you've never kept reptiles before now. Unfortunately, your cousin didn't think this whole thing through before getting this poor turtle. Unfortunately, his impulse decision is a common one, a very common one we on the forum see here far too often. This particular species is exploited in vast numbers for the low value pet trade, sold as cute little green baby dime store turtles, marketed alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any other form of child friendly manipulation. And yes, they are cute, but they get big. An adult female red eared slider can surpass twelve inches in length. The biggest I had ever seen was over sixteen inches long, a large female that my brother and I had fished out of a drainage ditch; she didn't even fit in the cement bucket my brother and I had brought along. Her mouth had seven fish hooks in it, and pulling them out with a pair of needle nosed pliers took over an hour, which in the hot South Texas sun, I can tell you, is rather unpleasant, given that a sixteen inch long turtle has a bite force and nasty attitude to match.

The sad truth of the matter is that this turtle may need veterinary attention to diagnose a possible eye infection. I don't know what sort of veterinary facilities Mumbai has to offer, but I know these turtles are very popular in East and South Asia (I lived in Korea as a kid, and red eared sliders were more popular there than Reeve's turtles), so I would imagine that some vet out there has experience dealing with this very common problem. If this isn't possible, I understand completely. Do your best. Follow the advice of these good people and me, and hopefully things turn out for the best. But yeah, it doesn't look good, and it won't get any better until you change his environment. Red ears are incredibly adaptable, but they need clean water, a place to dry out, and access to sunlight. The warm, humid environment of Mumbai will ensure that your turtle never suffers a chill, but so long as he can retreat to cooler water with access to a basking area that catches the morning sun, he should do well.

T.G.

 

[Jacqui]

I would try to light over his rock or even perhaps a small heating pad under the container. If nothing else, keep changing his water ever hour with new fresh WARM water. Then during the day get him out into the warm sunshine, just be sure he can choose to get out of the sun and into some shade if he wishes... also that the sun does not heat the water to a too hot temperature. Is his shell soft or firm?

 

[mike taylor]

He is a red ear slider . They can live in harsh environments . But they can't live if they can't heat up . Uvb/uva is a must with a basking spot . A cheap plastic pond here in the US is only like 40 dollars . It will fix this guy right up . I keep my sliders outside year round with no heat in winter they handle it every year . This is the pond I have for them and the other is for snappers . You don't have to spend a bucket of money when you use good ole mother nature.

 

[Abhi]

hi evryone,

thanks for the advice...

as of this morning ive started putting him in sunlight for 30 mins,,

I'l try to do evry bit possible to save the little fellow..

ok can someone tell me if Teramycin is goin to be good for him??

a friend of mine suggested that he might have an infection and that teramycin wud be good for him..

 

[Abhi]

Hi guys, jus a quick update on Adam..


I've been putting him in warm water and braised carrots from 2 days..

Also been putting him in sunlight..

But he doesn't eat and is showing no signs of improvement...

Wen I put him in lukewarm water ge tried to open his eyes and squeeked a little...

I'm really worried now,, he hasn't eaten since 5-6 days now..

 

[Abhi]

Some latest pics of Adam

 

[AmRoKo]

Terramycin is a good eye ointment, it can help with the swelling/pain and eye infection if he has one I believe.

 

[Abhi]

Hi amroko I've been giving Teramycin,, I think he may hav a throat infection

 

[AmRoKo]

Hi amroko I've been giving Teramycin,, I think he may hav a throat infection

Oh my, if he has a throat infection he will probably need antibiotic eye drops - you drop once down each nostril. I forget what the the drops are called that vets normally give for reptiles. you can also help by getting saline solution and dropping one-two drops down nostrils and a drop in each eye before using the antibiotics.

I hope someone with more experience will chime in here soon.