HELP! turtle sleeping all the time, not moving

[Laura]

she also needs a bigger place. or a different set up.
feed store or walmart will be cheaper for heat lamps etc.
it will be hard to heat a 10 gal tank properly.. it can get too hot as well...
Read up on Box Turlte care and diet. Dont depend on others... its up to you.
Find threads by terry O for great tips and pics.

 

[ShellyGinny29]

Try feeding her meat, I've noticed her diet you said is mostly fruits and veggies. She may need protein. When my brothers turtle didn't have enough protein, it's back legs stopped working. It's fine now, though.

Update: We put a normal reading lamp (I guess you could call it a gooseneck lamp because it's neck moves) over her tank until we can get to the pet store to get a normal reptile lamp and hideaway. After I take a shower and get dressed I'll go look for some earthworms and slugs (or tell my brother to do it.) I'm thinking a heat lamp is what she really needs right now, because it's getting rather chilly here in Oregon, outside at least. She will move if I touch her legs, she'll sort of pull them in closer like, "Hey, don't touch me!"

 

[Laura]

look for a CHE Ceramic Heat Emitter it will give heat without light so you can use it at night too...

 

[terryo]

I have a little BT baby right now who someone gave me, who isn't doing too well either. This little box turtle is just about blind, and so bumpy. Every AM I clean a carrot, and chop it up and boil it..skin too...and then mash it up right in the water it was boiling in. I cool it off and put a small amount in a little butter tub and put the baby in, and place the tub right in the vivarium that she lives in. I medicate her eyes when I take her out of her soak, and put her back in her vivarium. I do this twice a day. She's not getting any worse, and so far she has opened her eyes a bit. I don't know if she'll make it, but I'll keep trying. The most important thing with any box turtle...hatchling's especially is warm humidity, and places to dig in and hide. Right now I have two healthy hatchlings in a 40 gal. breeder tank. They will stay inside until they are at least three years old, and I won't have to up-grade their tank with this size. Ten gal. is too small because you can't regulate the temp. in the vivarium. Warm humidity, and low light are best for a box turtle that has to stay inside. I hope you BT will be OK. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

[Mky2k]

Try feeding her meat, I've noticed her diet you said is mostly fruits and veggies. She may need protein. When my brothers turtle didn't have enough protein, it's back legs stopped working. It's fine now, though.

Update: We put a normal reading lamp (I guess you could call it a gooseneck lamp because it's neck moves) over her tank until we can get to the pet store to get a normal reptile lamp and hideaway. After I take a shower and get dressed I'll go look for some earthworms and slugs (or tell my brother to do it.) I'm thinking a heat lamp is what she really needs right now, because it's getting rather chilly here in Oregon, outside at least. She will move if I touch her legs, she'll sort of pull them in closer like, "Hey, don't touch me!"

That's good news, that her back legs are still responsive. A lot of sick turtles lose the significance on their reaction tug, and some lose their reactions as a whole.

 

[Masin]

Try feeding her meat, I've noticed her diet you said is mostly fruits and veggies. She may need protein. When my brothers turtle didn't have enough protein, it's back legs stopped working. It's fine now, though.

. After I take a shower and get dressed I'll go look for some earthworms and slugs (or tell my brother to do it.)

Why don't you skip all that and go get her a worm instead? If she's starving I think I'd be knee deep in earth in the backyard trying to find a worm. You mention this wasn't an impulse buy but I'm worried that while not impulsive, irresponsible. I'm sorry if that offends but it sounds like you're not in the position to care for her on your own. Have your parents read up on her via the forum? I think getting them involved at this point would be helpful so she doesn't sit in a 10 gallon tank and either freeze to death or starve.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Try feeding her meat, I've noticed her diet you said is mostly fruits and veggies. She may need protein. When my brothers turtle didn't have enough protein, it's back legs stopped working. It's fine now, though.

Update: We put a normal reading lamp (I guess you could call it a gooseneck lamp because it's neck moves) over her tank until we can get to the pet store to get a normal reptile lamp and hideaway. After I take a shower and get dressed I'll go look for some earthworms and slugs (or tell my brother to do it.) I'm thinking a heat lamp is what she really needs right now, because it's getting rather chilly here in Oregon, outside at least. She will move if I touch her legs, she'll sort of pull them in closer like, "Hey, don't touch me!"

Go to Walmart, to the sporting goods section...they'll have little cardboard tubs of live fishing worms, usually nightcrawlers...also, you can get plastic storage boxes for very reasonable prices (a large one is less than $10) and this will make a much better home than a 10-gallon tank, which is much too small. Get one about 3' X 18" - 2' and it'll be much easier to make your boxie a good home.

 

[stillframeband]

Those are all the things I'd do, too; bigger enclosure, make sure the humidity and temps are correct (and allow for thermal gradients so she can pick where she wants to be), but first and foremost something wiggly, to get her interested in eating it! I've never been in a position to need to do the baby food soak (thankfully!!), but that sounds like a really good idea, too...I really hope you're able to get it solved, or able to take her to a vet soon if not. There's lots of really great knowledge on here (and all over the web, too) to help you out; this is one of the places I dug through extensively before I got mine, and it sure saved me some potential problems!

 

[ShellyGinny29]

I called the vet and he said to warm her up. I was really close to taking her in for an emergency exam, but $90.50 was too expensive for my dad, plus they're in Beaverton so it's rather far, especially since he believes she won't make it. We considered force-feeding but she won't open her mouth. I'm going to try warming her up, then soaking her a little bit so she'll open her eyes. My dad did get her to pee, so I think that's a good sign.

If she doesn't perk up from the heat, we're taking her in either later today or tomorrow. Hopefully today. Then they'll stick a stomach tube into her and feed her that way.

All we can do now is pray and hope she'll be okay.

 

[Mky2k]

Any updates?

 

[ShellyGinny29]

Any updates?

She made a move to eat her worm and strawberry last night, but didn't actually eat them. She hasn't done anything today, and her tank is approximately 80.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Since tomorrow's Sunday we probably can't get her into the vet (unless it's for an emergency exam, which is too expensive) but I was REALLY close to just taking her to the vet today so they could force-feed her, but I can't drive and I'm under eighteen so I couldn't sign her in or anything.

Please keep little Ginny in your prayers

 

[Mky2k]

Any updates?

She made a move to eat her worm and strawberry last night, but didn't actually eat them. She hasn't done anything today, and her tank is approximately 80.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Since tomorrow's Sunday we probably can't get her into the vet (unless it's for an emergency exam, which is too expensive) but I was REALLY close to just taking her to the vet today so they could force-feed her, but I can't drive and I'm under eighteen so I couldn't sign her in or anything.

Please keep little Ginny in your prayers

See if you can get someone to drive you. If you have to, rent a cab. But contact everyone you know, as see if one of them can give you a ride.

 

[katelyn0974]

Please don't get discouraged by some of the harsh responses from people. Everyone just wants to help and is pushing for your turtle. So many times people don't get the right information to care for these amazing animals and it's very unfortunate for the turtles. Take the advice and do the best you can to put a lot of time into your sick turtle. Best of luck, hoping for the best.

 

[Yvonne G]

Katy:

You don't seem to be listening to what we're telling you:

1. Baby turtles have to be over 85 or 90F degrees in order to eat. If they can't warm up to at LEAST 85F degrees, they won't eat. Room temperature, no matter what part of the world you live in, just isn't warm enough. The turtle needs a light over its too small habitat in order to warm up.

2. Soak that baby every day in warm water. Put some worms into the soaking water.

 

[ShellyGinny29]

Katy:

You don't seem to be listening to what we're telling you:

1. Baby turtles have to be over 85 or 90F degrees in order to eat. If they can't warm up to at LEAST 85F degrees, they won't eat. Room temperature, no matter what part of the world you live in, just isn't warm enough. The turtle needs a light over its too small habitat in order to warm up.

2. Soak that baby every day in warm water. Put some worms into the soaking water.

Don't you get it? That's EXACTLY what we're doing!!! We're only turning off the light because if we don't, it'll get to be over 100 degrees in there, and Ginny will fry. Or her worms will fry. So don't you tell me I'm not listening, because believe it or not, I AM. I AM listening to every single thing you people are telling me and trying to save my turtle with it, but nothing's working. My dad thinks she has a disease or something, not just starving, and we still can't take her to the vet because it's too expensive. He was sure we would wake up and she'd be dead, but she wasn't. It was a flat-out miracle. And here you are, flipping out on me because I'm not listening? Haha, yeah right.


Sorry for my anger outburst. It's just, I was bawling my eyes out last night because she's pretty close to dying and I can't help her because she won't wake up or move.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm sorry, Katy. Just keep her warm and soak her every day.

 

[ShellyGinny29]

I'm sorry, Katy. Just keep her warm and soak her every day.

It's okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you.

 

[cemmons12]

I'm sorry, Katy. Just keep her warm and soak her every day.

It's okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you.

Can u raise the heat light up higher to try and keep it at an even temp? Just a thought. And I have not read all these posts, in case somebody already said that.

 

[yagyujubei]

Try to contact the person you got it from, and find out what he was feeding it. I don't think that it's in any imminant danger of starving. Personally, I would concentrate on meat and meat related foods right now. Try canned cat food, if there's a bait store nearby, get some worms, if you can find some, crickets, pill bugs, chopped up raw fish or lean beef. My yearlings have no heat on them, and go outside everyday. I would make sure it soaks in clean water several times a day, maybe a 1/2 hour at a time. Make sure it gets some outside time, but not too hot.

 

[terryo]

Three years old is still very young, but not a baby. Even if she were going into hibernation mode, she would be waking up when you soak her. Hold her with two hands, with both your thumb's on her stomach, facing you. Very gently squeeze her with your thumbs and see if any bubbles come out of her nose. Are her eyes sealed shut and swollen? If she is not waking up at all, that is not good. Turtle's can go a very long time without eating, so that would not be my main concern right now. At this point I would just keep her warm, and soak her with warm water, untill, or when you can get her to a vet. I can see you are doing everything you possibly can for her now. Good luck and keep us updated.