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sick red slider

22 16:17:33

Question
Tuttle is 2" long. Found by a local canal. Have him since mid January. Been eating worms, shrimp, dandelion leaves. He has been lethargic, and not eating for a couple of days. He does do the open mouth behavior sometimes. I took him to the vet yesterday and he was VERY active during the drive there and while she was examining him. She said he's strong, has a nice shell, didn't really look sick. Because money is very tight right now, the vet agreed to hold off on giving him antibiotics since she could not diagnose anything, then watch closely and see how he does. Now I realize he is floating alot. He gets partially on a rock in the water and just floats. He's still fairly alert, eyes open, picks up his head. I am bringing him to another vet for x-rays and treatment tomorrow. This other vet is closer and has more reasonable fees. What do I do in the mean time? I feel so helpless! The water has been made warmer. But should I take him out of the water?

Answer
Wild-caught turtles are often badly stressed by the ordeal and big changes. They often pick up a variety of disease, and usually suffer from internal parasites.

You do not describe the habitat, but cool water temps are one concern- they want 75-80F. They also want large pools of very clean water to keep them healthy.

If he floats instead of swimming freely, it could be pneumonia- a viral infection that antibiotics cannot touch. Gaping may be a sign of respiratory infection (RI) which can be due to a variety of causes.

I would recommend asking the question at a good forum like http://www.turtleforum.com where several keepers can chat with you about ideas.

Good luck!