Turtle face swiping

Question
We have a recent addition to our classroom, a pair of yellow-bellied sliders.  
One is fine, but the second seems to have difficulty grabbing food and then
spends a lot of time swiping at its face and opening and closing its mouth.  It
seems to be having trouble swallowing.  I've been breaking up the food (dried
shrimp) for her and she can eat but the behavior seems odd and she does not
seem to be comfortable.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Try to get a look inside his mouth and see if you see anything such as ulcers, discoloration, or anything like a cheesy material.  If you do, you should see a vet about treatment.  Otherwise, I would just watch him and see how he does.  If you notice any other symptoms, such as wheezing, bubbles, yawning/gaping, lopsided swimming, etc., he may have a respiratory infection and will need to see a vet.

Here are some links to care information for sliders.  Plenty of room, proper temperatures and UVB, good water quality, and a varied diet are very important to keep them healthy.  You may need to make some changes to ensure that your turtles are getting the best care possible.

www.redearslider.com
http://tortoise.org/general/watcare.html
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-yellowbelly.htm