Very sick turtle - URGENT HELP NEEDED (respiratory condition)

[BornSlippy]

Hi there.

I have recently rescued a turtle from terrible conditions in a tropical fish shop. It's a terrestrial species that lives in humid damp conditions near water but not in it. it was being kept in a goldfish bowl with barely any room to move and in a few inches of dirty water. It's about 6-8" long.

It seems to have a respiratory condition as it shows several of the clinical signs in this link https://exoticpetvetblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/respiratory-conditions-in-reptiles. It's also shown no interest in food and does not move around much. It either keeps its head inside shell or out a little and listing to the side. My problem is that vets where I live (SE Asia) are not qualified to care for reps. They can barely manage to treat cats and dogs. The turtle is also quite rare so I can probably get into serious trouble for just having it. I have called around to a the few rescue centers (one that actually deals with turtles) and they couldn't help me. So my options are to try and treat it myself or to give it favorable conditions and hope it gets better on its own. However I fear it's already in a pretty bad way so I do think my only option is to try and treat it.

The one good thing is I have easy access to most drugs and I think I could probably get the antibiotics mentioned in the link I posted. Does anyone have experience in administering drugs to turtles and what about syringe feeding? Is this a possibility?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JoesMum]

Please can you post a photo of the tortoise so we can identify the species and give you precise care.

Otherwise all we can do is guess and we don't want to risk giving information that will make matters worse

 

[BornSlippy]

Please can you post a photo of the tortoise so we can identify the species and give you precise care.

Otherwise all we can do is guess and we don't want to risk giving information that will make matters worse

ok no problem. It's one of these, an adult.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-breasted_leaf_turtle

 

[JoesMum]

I know nothing about the care of this species.

The best I can offer is general advice

- Keep it warm 85F/30C day and night

- Soak in warm water for at least 30 minutes twice a day to prevent dehydration. The water should be just deep enough to come up over the join between the shell and the plastron.

- Respiratory Infection that has reached the runny nose stage usually requires antibiotics for recovery. I can't help with the dose.

- This tort needs UVB either from a reptile lamp for 12-14 hours or from the sun for 30 minutes every day. UVB does not pass through window glass

 

[meloha]

Spengleri don't get 6-8" long, their max is about 5". So please do send a pic! Spengs are also mountain species, so 85F would be too hot for an extended period of time. Mine do soak in their water bowls, so a shallow water bowl big enough to soak is needed -- plant saucer or something similar. Good luck!