hatchling turtle basking all day / Lethargic

Question
QUESTION: I have 3 red eared slider hatchling turtles, have only had them for about a week, and the smallest one has started basking all day long only getting in the water to feed and then goes directly back into the basking area. I feed them once a day with Zoo Med hatchling formula pellets, they all eat fine and seemed to be fine when I first got them.
The basking temp : 90-98 F
Water Temp: 80 F
They are all about 1 inch in size, and are in a 20 gallon long tank. I have a UVB compact bulb and a Halogen lamp for their basking area (75watts) And they are all males. The past day or so he has rarely opened his eyes (his eyes are swollen as well..) whenever I come near the tank where the others quickly run from me when I approach. And when he does try to open his eyes he seems to have to scratch them to get them open.. I only see him get off the basking platform when I take them out of their big tank to feed them in a smaller tank... He just seems very very lethargic compared to when I first got him...

any type of answer would be greatly appreciated!

ANSWER: Hi Heather,

There's a few things you can change to see if it perks up your turtle.  First, RES need a lot of room.  A 20 gallon tank is adequate for one hatchling for a short period of time, but not for three.  40-50 gallons would be much better, with corresponding filtration (should be for double the tank size).  Keep in mind that RES can grow to 12", so with three you will need a VERY large tank or outdoor pond.  Having adequate room and filtration will keep your turtles healthy and save you time and effort because the tank will stay cleaner longer.

Your temperatures are too high; temps too low or high can cause lethargy.  The basking temperature (measured on the basking spot directly under the lamp) should be 88-90 degrees, and the water temperature about 78.  Compact UVB bulbs are essentially useless (no UVB) and some eye issues have been associated with them, so see if you can return it.  I would get either a combo heat/UVB bulb (ZooMed Powersun), or a tube UVB bulb (Reptisun 10.0).  These are the only two bulbs I recommend; don't bother with any others because the UVB output tends to be poor.

The pellets are fine as part of the diet, but you should also be offering a variety of animal protein and some greens as well.  Hatchlings are more carnivorous than adults.  I'll link some care information for you below that will have complete dietary information.

The lethargy and swollen eyes could be due to a number of different things, but improving water quality and temperatures is the first thing to try, along with the better UVB.  Water quality is very often the cause of health problems.  If those changes don't help, post back and I'll do what I can to help you figure it out.    

Oh, and BTW, you can't sex turtles until they're mature, so there's no way to tell if yours are male or not.  In fact, all turtles look female until maturity!  You'll have to wait a few years for that--and if you have a mix of males and females, you may have breeding aggression issues, so be prepared to set up separate tanks if necessary.

Here's care information that's very detailed:

http://www.redearslider.com
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/filtration.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/housing.htm

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay, so I followed all your instructions lowered both water and basking area temp so it is now 78 F in water and about 92F in the spot directly under the lamp, I have started to feed them more greens and some fruit as well, even started to give them dried krill as a form of protein, and I still have yet to see a change in the little ones behavior. He basks all day long with his eyes closed never leaves unless I take him out to feed. He seems to be almost blind now? today he didn't open his eyes at all even when he was attempting to eat, which he didn't eat today. And he still seems to "float" on the top of the water where the others sink.. I don't know what could be wrong, and at this moment don't have the finances to take him to a vet... I will in about a week or two. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions! thank you!

Answer
Hi Heather,

Are you seeing any other symptoms, such as frequent yawning/gaping and stretching the neck out?  Those are signs of respiratory infection, and would require a vet visit and antibiotics to treat.  Extreme lethargy is a serious symptom, but doesn't really tell us what could be wrong in and of itself, since there are many problems that cause lethargy.  There's probably nothing specific wrong with his eyes--keeping them closed is more a symptom of overall poor health and the lethargy.  Unfortunately, captive bred RES are typically raised in poor, overcrowded conditions without much regard to health--they're so cheap they're pretty much considered throwaway pets, and if one dies it's not a big deal.  So they don't always arrive at the pet store in good shape.  It's a testament to how tough they are that so many do so well.  

At this point, since you made the temperature adjustments and it didn't make a difference, whether he survives or not may simply be a matter of luck.  Just in case, I would remove him from the tank.  Since he's not swimming anyway, you can put him in a box lined with a towel and set up with a source of heat (but make sure there's a cooler area for him).  Soak him once a day in shallow, lukewarm water, and see how he does for the next few days.  If he does have respiratory symptoms, he should see a vet, but if not, there may not be much a vet can do for him.  When they're so small, treatment is very difficult.  Don't try to force feed him or anything, because you'll do more harm than good.  Right now the best you can do is wait and see if there's any improvement.  Keep me posted on how he's doing and if you see any other symptoms--and especially if you see any symptoms in your other turtles.