I don't know whats wrong with my African side-necked water turtle?

Question

My Turtle just keeps basking all the time and wont eat his food and his shell is really rough almost like sandpaper :(, He justdoesnt seem 2 be botherd with anything. Hes usaly swimming around like a loony lol. His tank is always kept clean with regular water changes etc... I'm worried about him and I cant find a vet that knows about turtles where I live. Any help would be great here.

Answer 1

Are you sure the water isn't too cold or hot?

He needs to see a dr.

For a qualified exotics/reptile vet in your area, contact  Ã¢Â€Âœherpetologicalsocieties.com“ for the one nearest to you.

I'll post a link below with common turtle illnesses.  Peek it out when you find time, and see if anything looks like what is going on with your turtle.

I'll post a basic feeding recipe here, in case you're looking for more food items to tempt him with.

FEEDING WATER TURTLES:

There are many opinions on how to meet the dietary requirements of your RES (and other water turtles).  You can consult your vet for their recommendation, too, and google turtle breeders/sites to see what they feed.  This is what I have found to provide a happy/healthy reptile:

In the wild, red ear sliders (and other water turtles) eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters, and eat less plant matter than they will as they grow.



In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet product (like Reptomin floating food sticks); aquatic plants such as Anacharis (research which are safe for consumption); gut loaded crickets; and very small feeders guppies/goldfish/minnows. Hatchlings should be fed small amounts spaced several times over the day (they are growing quickly) and juveniles should be feed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with frozen tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of leafy greens (*like curly kale, collard greens, turnip greens, duckweed, water lettuce, Anacharis, chickweed, plantain weed, fig leaves, grape leaves) or finely chopped mixed vegetables, can be offered several times weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow a bit older, or curiosity sets in.

Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept. at a local pet shop (you can easily cut this to a desired size or use whole for larger turtles/tanks) and drop it in the water for added calcium.  Turtles are curious, and eventually they'll bite at it.  This is fine too, but if they don’t, they will still get added calcium as they drink the water.

For adults the diet is relatively the same (amounts increased as they grow, and daily feedings decrease), but more of the diet may consist of commercial turtle pellets and plant items, such as Anacharis (*see plant/vegetable material above) and vegetables.  

All my turtles, regardless of age, enjoy their gut loaded crickets.  Offering fresh live fish supplements their diet, and provides a good source of exercise as they swim, stalking and catching them.  Adults should be fed assorted greens several times a week.  Adult turtles may not eat daily, but most will if offered the opportunity.

Alternate/rotate the greens to provide a variety of nutrients: (*see above); kale; romaine/red leaf lettuce; mustard greens; dandelion greens/flowers; watercress; parsley; Swiss chard; shredded carrots; shredded squash (yellow; pumpkin; acorn; etc.); mixed vegetables (fresh is better, but thawed frozen can be used) and miscellaneous fruits. NO iceberg lettuce; brussel sprouts, or cabbage!  Never Avocado (this is toxic/poisonous to most animals)!

You can reduce your task of keeping their environment clean by removing your turtle(s) to a small tank/plastic water filled container of the same water temp. (water turtles primarily feed in the water) for feeding.  Turtles shred their food with their beak and front claws, and tend to be quite messy eaters.

Good luck, and I hope the lil guy is feeling better soon.

I hope this has been helpful.