Turtle frenetic behaviour

Question
Hi,
we have a ~4 year old female turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) that lives in a
150 liters tank together with another turtle (male, presumably same age). The
tank is equipped with a lamp (~11hr/day of light) and a wodden platform.
Sometime the female, starts swimming frenetically all around the tank
(bottom and surface) for several minutes up to more than 1 hour.It looks like
she want to escape or looking for something... but I've no idea what is the
cause of this unusual behavior. Do you have any explanation?
In addition, she has been very aggressive with the male, especially during
breeding rituals. The (smaller) male turtle has "lost" two 2 nails and 2
phalanxes... Could this be related to the previously described behavior?
Thank you in advance for your suggestions and comments.

Best Regards,
Alessandro  

Answer
Hello Alessandro,

The only thing that I can think of, that might be the cause of this problem, is an upcoming disease called Respiratory infection or just "RI". It cause fluid build-up in the lungs impairs and can also work as a warning that something is wrong with the turtle or the habitat. My advice: Make sure that the water temperatures are correct and that your turtle is not exposed to cold drafts.

However, if the health of your turtle doesn't improve within a couple of days - then I highly recommend you to contact a vet for further help.


Best wishes
Sara