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Brazilian Red - eared Sliders Sick

22 16:30:36

Question
Hi! I recieved 3 baby turtles as a gift 3 months ago, and they were about 1" in size. 2 of them have suddenly stopped eating and are very sluggish. (I feed them every day and keep them in a tank which i clean every week. The temperature inside is usually around 81 degrees farenheit or 27 degrees celsius.)

One I think just suffered from an injury in its tank (it's mouth is crooked) and is recovering, but it is still not eating, probably because of its mouth. Is there a way that I can help it's jaw or mouth recover?

The worst one (in my opinion) has a shell that seems to be curling upwards away from its legs, and its eyes are always closed. I thought it was suffering from a vitamin A deficiency so I gave it some eye drops. But it doesn't help. Is there anything I can do for it?

The last turtle is my favorite. Hes swimming around happily and eating voraciously. He is also the biggest one. Does their size have anything to do with their health? Because the sick ones didn't seem to have grown..  I don't understand how all three came healthy, but only one is now. I have treated them all equally. Please help. I'm worried about them. Thank you very much in advance!!

Answer
In many cases, turtles are sick when we buy them (or get them), and just plain don't get better. In many other cases, the care they are getting is OK but not great- lots of people get told ways to care for turtles that are either very outdated, or just plain wrong.

For example- there is no turtle called the 'Brazilian Red-ear Slider'. It may be a Red-ear Slider (http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_of_turtles/Red-eared_Sliders_-Trachemys_s...) or one of the South American Sliders, like the Columbian Slider(http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_of_turtles/Columbian_Slider_-_Trachemys_s...).

It may even be that it is a Brazilian Red-footed Tortoise (http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_of_turtles/Red-foot_Tortoises_-_Geochelon...) or a totally different kind of turtle. The gallery the above pictures are linked to can help you identify the turtles better.

Step 1 in the right care is to know which kind of turtle you really have. The care for Red-ear Sliders will kill a Red-foot Tortoise.

Now, let's assume you have Red-ear Sliders or another kind of Slider and look at them.

The big one may just be healther, or may be bigger because it has bullied the other two (stolen food, etc.)- probably both.

The jaw injury is a real problem. If that turtle does not eat, it will die. There is not much you can do for it so it should be seen by a vet.

The other one is probably suffering a series of long-term problems called metabilic disorders. It sounds like there is a calcium-related problem, and probably a few other things. The good news is that if we can get it to eat, we might be able to help it- but if it does not open its eyes, it will not eat. Try cod-liver oil or turtle eye drops. If they don't help in about 5 days, see a vet.




If these are sliders, there are three keys to their general care and health.

1. Good water. Good water means they have lots of room- about 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length- of, in your case, about 40 gallons of water, or a 50 gallon tank mostly full. Good water is also warm (75-80F) and very clean (I'd recommend a good filter instead of changing the water.) Here is a good article about turtle water: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm

2. Good sun. Turtles worship the sun. They need good basking sites (safe and easy to climb on) that are warmed to about 90F. Good lighting is important, and UVB lighting really helps (UVB does not pass through most glass or plastic.)

3. Good food. Turtles do best on a variety of foods. Try about 1/2 good pellets, and 1/2 good live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods' like worms, insects, small fish, krill, shrimp, snails, etc. Here is an article on feeding: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com has a ton of other good info to try.