DonnaM

So Sorry to hear about Munch How awful for you Thinking of you at this sad time.

Thats one fabulous pond you got there..... My turtles would love it

And try and see Ross, not Pauline. Only coz Ross has been treating turtles for years and Pauline is relatively new at it.... Floating is not ok/normal. Check out the care sheets on the www.happyturtlespub.org as thay will give you loads of info on care and behaviour and illness etc. Get to Hornby asap and if you need a hand getting antibiotics into her, give us a yell and I can help if needed. Good luck.

mmm I dont think she is hibernating. She sounds like she needs a trip to a reputable vet who knows about turtles and needs a course of antibiotics for pneumonia. Turtles shouldnt hibernate inside. They may slow a little, but dont have a thick layer of mud or something to burrow down in and hibernate in at the bottom of a deep tank..... Turtles usually only show signs of illness when they are pretty sick, and staying out of water, not eating, floating on side are all signs of a serious respiratory illness that needs immediate attention or she will die. If this has been going on for a few weeks....its not a good sign. Is often contagious so you are lucky the male is not showing any signs. When they hibernate they need NO food...as it will rot inside them and cause death. Turtles may hibernate outside in bottom of a pond, or under a compost heap or something and need no feeding for several months during that time. Get your water really clean, warm it up to around 29 deg, make sure there is no draft getting into tank area, dont have lids on tank which cause condensation...another reason for resp issues, put one or even 2, 40 or 60 watt lightbulbs over basking area to add warmth. Get a cheap clip on one from Bunnings if you have none, make sure your UV light is a proper reptile one and not older then 6 mths as that will also increase immune system strength. Personally I think after the vet she needs dry docking with only short spells in warm water to ensure she is staying hydrated.... If the vet doesnt know about turtles get them to look up about giving ABs in a reptile book or to phone a vet that does. (Ross blanks in Hornby CHCH if they dont know of one,...) Dont let them send you home with no treatment. Your turtle is very sick Good luck and I hope shes OK

Yes a heater in the water would bring temp up...but do it SLOWLY...dont even bother to try feeeding until they look really active and have 'normal' behaviours. Check out http://www.happyturtlespub for some great turtle advice from people in USA where the RES originates from. I agree with Livingart that moving them inside somewhere would be advisable. Thats not a big/deep enough environment for them to successfully hibernate in and they really need to have something to burrow themselves into to stay warm. My hibernating lot move under water and stare at me when I check on them, but I wouldnt disturb them in any way. mmm...I hope it was OK to post that link....its a very good site specific to turtles so thought it would help

Wow that is just so fantastic! :bounce: :bounce: It makes all that worry just disappear with such good news. Good on you with all your hard work looking after him so well.

me too ... hope all goes really well and outcome is a good one

Good point Ira Sad, destructive but true :roll:

Yeah you're right livingart. Its hard to know that some peoples background and circumstances contributes to antisocial behaviour. Really hard for those affected by their actions too

I got a ph call today from SPCA about a couple of turtles in a house fire. I dont know alot of details...except all animals are ok....but apparently owners are away on holiday.. SPCA got a call at 2am due to a tank with turtles and gold-fish. There was a white kitten...now grey...and a Bichon Frieze (Spelling) as well and all survived, but the house was gutted. So SPCA was phoning me coz the power is off and so if the owners cant be located they will bring me the fish and turtles to look after till their return. How horrible, going away on holiday, organising your pets to be looked after etc and then returning to find everything you own is burnt in a fire. :evil: Arson is suspected as there were 3 starting points apparently. It just defys all logic to me why someone would think burning down someone elses home was an OK thing to do? Goodness knows if the turtles have smoke damage in their lungs or anything. Hopefully they stayed under the water during the fire. I don't know what I'd do if I came home and found something like that. Just awful

So sorry to hear about wee Calypso Hoping all goes well with the outcome of the surgery...prayers and thoughts with you and Calypso

Yep, definately cuter when dry

Yay! :bounce: Hopefully moving tank etc has helped too

I'll be there...raincoat and all! Lets just hope the nasty weather doesnt keep people at home...or they'll regret missing a great time! Also, are we meant to bring 'food' for tea on a tank crawl?? I dont know wot time they finish....so wasnt sure

Wow thats fantastic! :bounce: Now when will the turtle design come out...

mmm, so do you think shes otherwise healthy? Normal behaviours/ energy? :-? Or is this lack of appetite possibly a symptom of an underlying illness, rather than a fussy turtle whose slowed down a bit in the cooler weather? Might be an option to chat to the vet about a multivite injection as a bit af an appetite stimulant, or to check out if theres an underlying respiratory condition or something? I'm just wondering coz it has been a wee while now since she ate much Did she used to have a good appetite, or has she slways been a bit elusive with food? A turtle can be sick for a very long time with no symptoms...and then often lack of apppetite is one of the first signals that there is something else going on? Tricky...What do you think? :-?

Maybe a few water snails? They like those usually.

Debs is very busy with sick turtle, so thought I'd update.. Munch is yellow in colour as when she got sick, and eyes were swollen the previous owners consulted a pet shop. They were told to put iodine in the water...so the iodine has stained the shell bright yellow... Not sure what it might have done to the turtles insides when she drank it tho. :-? Still eating a bit and having multivite injections etc. Lots of work with a sick turtle... Good on you Debs for taking Munch on and taking good care of her :bounce:

Yes I did hear it was world turtle day...turtles werent interested in having a party when I told them tho :lol:

I've plenty of male turtles needing a new home... :lol:

Awwww Now stop chatting and get to bed!! Look at the time!

mmm strange floating is usually respiratory. Is she still on ABs? One I had with yellowy shell was too full of pus to survive...but she'd been pulled out of a stream and was incredibly sick. So lets get the Vit A (and D too) injection, keep her on Abs and don't have her in water as much as I initially said. Also would pay to have it shallow so she can drink, poo etc and not use too much energy trying to climb out of water or swim. But she needs to be able to rehydrate so does need to be in water during the day. Some theories say only an hour a day, but that has apparently shown to be insufficient to rehydrate. See how she goes. 2 hours at a time, 2 or 3 times a day may be OK. If shes not managing, cut it back a bit. Really needs to be in warm air and water temp...as consistant as possible. 27 will be fine as shes sick. Cover her eyes with the towel and use the light then for warmth.Definately a good chance of survival tho, so dont despair...but you will need to be patient

Also watch shes warm enough in the plastic tub. A cardboard box may be better? When dry docking I use a foam cat box thingy (check out photo in sick turtle thread) or a cardboard box with towels underneath and towel loosely folded on top. Her eyes may well be sensitive to the light? 8) So by a warm night store heater or a cylander cupboard or heat pump (watch shes not in a draft) may be better. No worries, ask away any questions, theres lots of knowledge on the forum :bounce: