Metabolic bone disease

[weston]

today my girlfriend and I found a red ear slider around 1-2 inches in size sitting on the edge of the water.
Its shell was very soft and the turtle seemed incredibly weak in fact it was too weak to run or even swim away when I placed it back in the water.
After this I brought him home with us as I didn't want to feel as if I left the poor guy for dead.
I set up a spare 10 gallon tank with a filter and a uvb bulb along with a small turtle dock and heater.(I had all of this from previous hatchlings I've raised in the past.)
I ended up researching everything I could find online about turtle diseases common in small turtles and hatchling until I figured out it was metabolic bone disease.
The turtle seems very weak still but fortunately it perked up some in the warmer water even swimming to the bottom at one point and comming back up for air.
I read calcium helps to aid in the turtles recovery but It only made a mess in its tank as I have yet to pick up a turtle bone and only have calcium supplements made to shake onto crickets when feeding.
To no real surprise the turtle refused to touch the raw strip of chicken and talapia I placed in the shallow end of the tank and now my water is just foggy should I do a water change and just pick up a calcium bone they sell at the stores? Or is this fine and should I just leave it for now I mean he's still going to drink the water in his tank is this better then nothing for now?

 

[Frank Castle]

today my girlfriend and I found a red ear slider around 1-2 inches in size sitting on the edge of the water.
Its shell was very soft and the turtle seemed incredibly weak in fact it was too weak to run or even swim away when I placed it back in the water.
After this I brought him home with us as I didn't want to feel as if I left the poor guy for dead.
I set up a spare 10 gallon tank with a filter and a uvb bulb along with a small turtle dock and heater.(I had all of this from previous hatchlings I've raised in the past.)
I ended up researching everything I could find online about turtle diseases common in small turtles and hatchling until I figured out it was metabolic bone disease.
The turtle seems very weak still but fortunately it perked up some in the warmer water even swimming to the bottom at one point and comming back up for air.
I read calcium helps to aid in the turtles recovery but It only made a mess in its tank as I have yet to pick up a turtle bone and only have calcium supplements made to shake onto crickets when feeding.
To no real surprise the turtle refused to touch the raw strip of chicken and talapia I placed in the shallow end of the tank and now my water is just foggy should I do a water change and just pick up a calcium bone they sell at the stores? Or is this fine and should I just leave it for now I mean he's still going to drink the water in his tank is this better then nothing for now?

This is no easy task and there is no cure. What state did this occur in?

 

[Thekid]

Natural selection is a process that humans shouldn't interfere in. Congratulations however on trying to interfere with a process that's been happening since before time.

 

[Frank Castle]

Natural selection is a process that humans shouldn't interfere in. Congratulations however on trying to interfere with a process that's been happening since before time.

I find it rather odd that it occurred in the wild....perhaps this was someone's pet who released it thinking it would be better and more comforting for it to die in the wild rather than in a tank. I have really never heard of this happening in the wild considering lack of UVB is the main cause of it. Makes no sense.

 

[Thekid]

I find it rather odd that it occurred in the wild....perhaps this was someone's pet who released it thinking it would be better and more comforting for it to die in the wild rather than in a tank. I have really never heard of this happening in the wild considering lack of UVB is the main cause of it. Makes no sense.

I'd look at the op and think about the credibility behind him.

 

[Frank Castle]

I'd look at the op and think about the credibility behind him.

IDC about that, I see it as my job to help wounded animals, but the question is was this in their native range or not? Nursing an invasive back to health is controversial , but I have done this before w/ Bearded Dragons - there is no cure and they will never be the same but treatment and intensive care can make them relatively healthy and extend their life some. I got about 6 more years out of the Beardie that was bordering death at 7+ years old already. The bone deformations and skeletal issues are permanent, however

 

[weston]

This is no easy task and there is no cure. What state did this occur in?

Texas, the turtle looks better it's under uvb and feeding on some turtle sticks and raw meat (shrimp and fish) I had for my other pets also I picked up a turtle bone today hoping it would help with some added calcium absorption.

 

[Frank Castle]

Texas, the turtle looks better it's under uvb and feeding on some turtle sticks and raw meat (shrimp and fish) I had for my other pets also I picked up a turtle bone today hoping it would help with some added calcium absorption.

it's a little different for a turtle....I used the blender, and loaded it w/ Plain yogurt (no flavor at all), lotsa romaine, some veggies and a fair amount of Zoomed Herptivite/Reptivite and I was feeding him through an oral syringe since he was so bad he wouldn't even attempt to eat anything, and he was already 7 or so when I got him, so God knows how long he had MBD, but I just kept on it daily for a few weeks until I could get him to open his mouth for pinkiies and fuzzies and Horn worms. Then I started giving him veggies and dumping dusted crickets on his his leafy greens and he got as good as he was gonna get, so another 6 years later, he just died last Summer finally

 

[Wailua Boy]

How about a piece of chicken liver?