Thank you again, everyone for your advice.
I took my Fly River Turtle to vet at a university pet hospital today. Luckily, the exotic animal doctor was in!
He said it wasn't a gas bubble, but quite the opposite, water in one of the lungs. He gave me some antibiotics to inject with a needle over the coming week and said he should be okay but to monitor him carefully. Apparently, the water should work its way out naturally. He said a good sign of recovery will be once he starts eating again. However, he could remain floating on his side for quite some time even after he's recovered.
This is kind of a side note, but he also mentioned my turtle was small for his age (about 5 years by my guess) and looked like he had a calcium deficiency, noting that the underside of his belly was too soft and had room to grow. He recommended giving him live fish as part of his diet. I usually only give him turtle pellets, fruit, and water lettuce. And here I thought he was rather large and that I was probably feeding him too much. I feed him everyday, sometimes taking one day off a week, and I try to feed him at irregular times of the day to try and mimic a more natural diet. I also rotate between different pellets and fruits. But I guess he needs some live food!
Anyways, I'm not sure what could have caused the water build up in his lung and the doctor didn't say. In any case, thanks again to those who offered their advice in response to my post. It was greatly appreciated. I believe Pippin will recover well!
I took my Fly River Turtle to vet at a university pet hospital today. Luckily, the exotic animal doctor was in!
He said it wasn't a gas bubble, but quite the opposite, water in one of the lungs. He gave me some antibiotics to inject with a needle over the coming week and said he should be okay but to monitor him carefully. Apparently, the water should work its way out naturally. He said a good sign of recovery will be once he starts eating again. However, he could remain floating on his side for quite some time even after he's recovered.
This is kind of a side note, but he also mentioned my turtle was small for his age (about 5 years by my guess) and looked like he had a calcium deficiency, noting that the underside of his belly was too soft and had room to grow. He recommended giving him live fish as part of his diet. I usually only give him turtle pellets, fruit, and water lettuce. And here I thought he was rather large and that I was probably feeding him too much. I feed him everyday, sometimes taking one day off a week, and I try to feed him at irregular times of the day to try and mimic a more natural diet. I also rotate between different pellets and fruits. But I guess he needs some live food!
Anyways, I'm not sure what could have caused the water build up in his lung and the doctor didn't say. In any case, thanks again to those who offered their advice in response to my post. It was greatly appreciated. I believe Pippin will recover well!
