our red eared sliders died

Question
QUESTION: hello my question is what can a red eared slider turtle naturally die from instantly?around 1 p.m. yesterday me and my girlfriend took our 2 turtles out to get some sunshine on their shells for proper growth.it was 85-90 degrees outside.perfect weather and heat for them.about 15 minutes to 3 i checked on them and they were fine playing around in their pool like always.it was a kiddy pool by the way.i also noticed there were some bumblebees and wasps flying around there pool.about 30 minutes later my girlfiend checks on them and she hollars into the kitchen that the turtles were dead.i go out there to check and sure enough they were. i've talked to 3 vets and no one seems to know any thing. but the one thing all 3 vets agreed with was that heat from outside was not a factor in their death,but they are just as dumbfounded as we are.these turtles were apart of the family and we're crushed that they're gone and we'd like to have some closure.if you or anyone else you know knows anything that could put this to rest so we can make since of this we'd sure appreciate it.finally i'd like to add that the boy was about 4 years old and the girl was about 3 years old. we fed them tetra reptomin food,they lived in a 20 gallon tank with filter and turtle dock.again any help would be greatly appreciated.thanks.

ANSWER: Hello Greg, I am very sorry for your loss. It is a very unfortunate death. Were there any signs of trauma? Such as bleeding, or cuts?

Could an animal have gotten to them? Did they have access to land area? Turtles can hold their breath for long periods of time but have still been known to drown if they are not used to deep water or can not get up out of the water. The fact that they both died is really odd however.

Did they get in a fight? Perhaps the bees flying around did have a play in the case

Did you have a thermometer in the pool? I know the ambient air temperature was 85-90 but if the water was too cold or too warm that could definately play a facotr in this as well. If their inside tank was a certain temperature then placed outside in a compltely different temperature it may be that they went into shock

Could it be that they were playing dead?

Sorry I couldnt be of much more help, and I feel for your loss, I too recently lost one of my dear pets from a brain aneurysm. So I understand your pain.

I hope we can find the cause of this unfortunate event.

Let me know if any of these possibilities sound right

Yexalen

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QUESTION: i doubt they could've been playing dead we put them back in their tank in the water and they didn't budge.how long usually do they play dead for?because we've had them for 3 years and they've been approached by other animals dogs mostly and they just went into their shell.to be more detailed their front legs and head were inside the shell and their back legs were sticking out.something black was hanging off the female off of her tell,it was still attached but it was hanging.her eyes were open and  his eyes were closed,there legs were stiff and appeared very much dead.also we noticed there was some what appeared to be dried blood around the interior of the pool.but saw no marks on the exterior of their shell.also there was no water in the pool.if this sheds any more light on this please let me know.also we've had them out there many times before and they were perfectly fine.thanks so much for your help.

ANSWER: Hi Greg, it might have been a bee sting. Wasps bite and sting and they are carniverous bees so it may have been a wasp. Perhaps a cat got to them?

I am not sure of the effect of a bee sting on a turtle, but bees do carry poison and thats why some people are allergic to them and why bee stings seem to get red and puffy.

I do not know if the sting or bite of a wasp or any other bee could kill a turtle. But its the most reasonable thing I can think of right now.

I will do more research if you want. You can email me reptilianyex@live.com or ask another question here and I will get back to you with what I found out.

Good luck
Yexalen

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QUESTION: hi yexalen. i sure do appreciate the info and all the help you've provided.you've sure been more help then most of the vets i tried to talk to.this is still very painful.i'll tell you we do have alot of wasps and dirt dobbers in this area during summer,so i agree for sure that that's the most reasonable explaination,and yes defenitely if you could do some more research we'd appreciate that a great deal.any answers we get could hopefully help us to put some closure on this.i hope it's not too much trouble.any answers can help us to move on.again thank you very much.

Answer
Hi Greg, I tried contacting a few people about wasps and other bee stings effects on turtles. However I have yet to hear a reply. I have been researching and can't find anything about it online. I talked to wasp experts with no luck and I talked to other people experienced with turtles. I will keep looking and try to contact you when or if I find anything if you would like.

But I am pretty sure a wasp could have done it. They are carniverous and attacking insects. so it is a strong possibility. They bite and sting so its hard to say exactly what could have done it.

Sorry I couldnt be of much more help

Yexalen