Hi,
I have 6 red-eared sliders. I've been building them a new pond, and had them in a temporary holding tank. I was so focused on the pond, I didn't give them the full care and attention they needed. I finished the pond and moved them today, but one looked sick. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, and she had a patch of discolored skin on her neck. I had noticed that she had been spending almost all the the time out of water and not swimming around. The rest of the turtles seem fine, and love their new home.
I moved the sick one to a box with a heating pad under half of it. She is sitting right on top of the pad. I think the heat is helping. What should I treat her eyes/neck with? Do you think she has a respiratory problem...I read that is common with them? I plan to put her outside tomorrow in a large empty tank with half shade/ half sun, and give her short baths of water to keep her hydrated (and see if she will eat.) Any other advice?
Thanks,
Stefan
I have 6 red-eared sliders. I've been building them a new pond, and had them in a temporary holding tank. I was so focused on the pond, I didn't give them the full care and attention they needed. I finished the pond and moved them today, but one looked sick. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, and she had a patch of discolored skin on her neck. I had noticed that she had been spending almost all the the time out of water and not swimming around. The rest of the turtles seem fine, and love their new home.
I moved the sick one to a box with a heating pad under half of it. She is sitting right on top of the pad. I think the heat is helping. What should I treat her eyes/neck with? Do you think she has a respiratory problem...I read that is common with them? I plan to put her outside tomorrow in a large empty tank with half shade/ half sun, and give her short baths of water to keep her hydrated (and see if she will eat.) Any other advice?
Thanks,
Stefan
And your rigth in considering she may have a respiratory infection, respiratory infections and eye problems are like cheese and bread, best friends (even if turts with eye probs tend to land in a futile atempt to recover) First of you did well in putting her warm in the heat pad. Next you need to see a vet asap, she needs antibiotic, the good news is that what will treat the eyes will also help with the lungs. Next you need both to open her eyes to let the infection out and to clean them. For that go to a pet store, get a turtle eye solucion, moist a cotton swab with it and very gently try to open the eyes and clean them. The vet or another person may have to hold the turtle and keep it still. Prepare yourself because its very likely that pus may be there, in early fases its liquid, later is solid and looks like small chunks of cheese. IT HAS TO COME OUT! Also make shure it never happens again, wich is simple even with many turtles
Keep your eyes on your turtles, give them a very varied diet with lots of greens, clean regulary their water and avoid freeze dryed gammarus. The outdoor pond ts a great idea
Nothing that you can do at home will clear it up, it will only get worse and worse, wich is kind of sad because with antibiotic injections that would clear quite nicely, please reconsider, it wouldnt be that expensive. Imagen if you couldnt coff (turts dont have diafram, so they cant coff) and felt your lungs get more and more congested with a tick porulent liquid, you had to stugle to take each breath untill you couldnt no more and died of asfixiacion. THATS THE KIND OF TURTURE YOUR TURTLE WILL HAVE TO COPE WITH THE NEXT WEEKS OR DAYS! All it would take is some injections of baytil wich is avaible in every veterinary clinic, even a normal vet could take care of that. The injections are subcutaneous in the turts arm pits.