What do i do with this sick little turtle on my hands?

Question

i have a tiny turtle on my hands right now. i took her out of the tank because it was floating in it. its still breathing but it looks really pale and it looks like its coffing. she barely swims and smetimes i find it by the filter. anyone know what i should do before it dies on me? shold i leave it in the tank or what?

Answer 1

you have to put rocks ,or a piece of a branch from a tree, big enough for it to climb up on,turtles need to get out of the water for small periods of time, or they will drown,so be sure that you do not have to much water in the tank, and that you have something for it to climb up out of the water on,and if you think it might already be in distress,take it to your local veterinarian and let them check it out,hope it gets better soon.good luck.

Answer 2

The pale shell indicates many things, a couple of which are lack of UVB, and vitamin A.  What temperature is the tank?  It sounds like you have a critically sick turtle with a bad respiratory infection.

She sounds like she's too weak to be in deep water.  I would suggest you move her to a small container with about 1/2 " deep layer of water in it, and get the temperature around 78 degrees F (do NOT over heat the turtle and cook the poor thing).  Make sure it doesn't drown.  Tip the container up on a folded towel, so one side is dry, and the other side is 1/2"

She needs immediate vet attention.

If you don’t already know of a qualified exotics/reptile vet in your area, google: “Herpetological Society” -or-

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/  for the one closest to you.

I sure do hope the baby will be okay, and I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Answer 3

Turtles need to be out of the water to they can also drown , Vets will treat turtles to, be sure to have it a place to climb out of the water , good luck hope he makes it.  

Answer 4

Respiratory Infections *****Sliders, cooter, map, painted, yellow bellied and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Many respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their EARLY stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold. **Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, coughing,lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

**Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com, for a turtle vet in your city and state

You do  know that they need to bask under a reptile light for  8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that  they need to grow.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

You need a good filter system!

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily.

They need leafy greens for vitamins at least 3 to 4 times a week.

And a big tank 55 gallons or more..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

Answer 5

Please make sure it's a turtle and not a tortoise. I've seen incidents where someone put a tortoise in a water tank, which is a big mistake because tortoises cannot swim.

Anyway, like the other person said, make sure you have rocks or something so the turtle can climb out and rest above the water. They breathe air and get tired just like we do, so if they have to tread water for too long they will tire and not be able to hold themselves up anymore. In that case, they will drown.

Leave it in the tank where it can access water, but MAKE SURE there's a nice area about the water that it can easily get to. If it's not too late, it should be fine.