sick rescue turtle

Question
hi,..i rescued this turtle lying upside down in the road,..she is a painted turtle,..i've had her for a little while,..she is not feeling well & i am confused as to what to do to help her,...she is not eating, i got "jump start" & put it in her mouth aprox 2x's a day with a small needle syringe ,..she eats very little of it & spits the rest out,..she seems to have some stuff sometimes coming from her nose,...she is opening her mouth alot,...i am trying to keep her warm with a heat lamp for reptiles,currently in a box on a towel  -dry- .... i keep her under this for most of the day...i  put her in warm water for about 1/2 hour a day,..her front legs are very weak & she doesn't use them,..her back legs are strong,today while in the water she did scoot around with her back legs which is a signifigant improvement from the past few days..i really didn't want to get real invloved with outrageous medical bills but i don't know what else to do for her,....she did however start to eat a little today!!!...still front arms aren't moving but a tiny bit... is  warm water or dry in a box with a towel & a heat lamp best or what???... .please help!!


Answer
Remember, I am not a vet.

In general, 'dry tanking' is an outdated technique that is now considered very stressful. Nowadays, we keep the turtles dry for as little as possible (such as wound care.)

Now- the best options, in order of preference, are...

1. Release it where you found it. In general, turtles do best when allowed to recover in their home territory..

2. Veterinary care. You are describing a respiratory infection that is pretty well developed, possibly to pneumonia. This is really hard to care for this sort of thing at home. Sadly, the vet bills would probably be rather high.

3. Home care. Try the articles at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com and/or http://www.redearslider.com for good general cares. You can also get help at http://www.turtleforum.com

Good luck!