Anyone know about turtles??? I need help

[JJshiv]

I have some little red eared sliders and one of them has an eye infection I think. The lil guy almost never eats and always is in the basking spot. The other 3 are absolute pigs and rarely go on the basking spot. That is why I am worried about this one. He is also very under sized compared to the others. Can anyone help me out?????
[addsig]

First off.. What makes you think it's got an eye infection going on ? Next....if your not familiar with treating such....VET visit.... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]
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[JuliusSqueezer]

Your turtle has a condition called avitaminosis (vitamin A deficiency) Puffy eyes and eye infection are the first symptom to occur...the second is a Respiratory infection. Clean the water good and use some reptisafe or some water dechlorinator...You can also get some eye drops for turtles at most petstore that works really well...unless a vet is really into aquatic turtles I doubt they would have the particular eye drops you need but most petstores carry it Call the vet anyway just in case. Also you will need to suppliment the vitamins and get the vitamin A back up. Talk to your vet or a reputable pet dealer about what vitamin and eye drop products are available in your area. It is a serious problem but not one that is really hard to overcome. Good Luck
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[telefrag]

First thing I would do is seperate him from the others, in his state, he probably cant get sufficient food because there are 3 other mouths that are more able to get to it.

Then I would procede with what Julius recommended.

A vet probably would be too helpful in this matter, unless you know he/she is capable of properly treating a small chelonian.
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[JuliusSqueezer]

Yah thanks Frag [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] It is a good idea to seperate them...I would also go ahead and treat all of them symtoms or not. Little extra vitamins certainly won't hurt any of them. Might even turn out a set of ninja turtles....who knows?
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[JJshiv]

Thanks for the input guys. I have separated him and he still wont eat. I feed him with ReptoMin food sticks and I guess they just dont have vitamin A. What can I give him to boost the vitamin A level? I have Miner-All, will that work? And how will he get the vitamin A if he wont eat?

I have called a vet and all he said was that he didnt really know enough about turtles. So I think I am on my own as far as treatment. I will try what you guys suggest though. Thanks.

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[eddie]

Hey Jshiv,
Here's a link to redeared sliders that might help you out more,
it's called Redsliders Swamp.
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[JuliusSqueezer]

The problem may be that you are just offering the foodsticks...they are by no means everything they need. They are ok as a suppliment but they also need live earthworms, mealworms, crickets, small feeder fish, fresh fruit and veggies etc....along with a vitamin suppliment. It probably isn't that he isn't eating...he's just had enough of the food sticks and wants something else. mix it up. Like eddie suggested...try that webpage and any others you can find. As with any pet, it is your responsibility to research all you can about any animal in your care.
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[JJshiv]

Believe me, I have mixed it up. I have given them mealworms, crickets, ground beef, lettuce, and some apple once. They liked the beef the best, but I did do my research and I am not supposed to feed that very often. The crickets and mealworms they like too, but not the little one who is having problems. They mostly like the food sticks. They only wanted to hide under the lettuce. I read on a RES website that the little ones are mostly carnivorous. Mine are maybe 2-3'' from head to tail. And now the little one likes nothing. Today though, he was very active and I tried to feed him, but he refused the mealworm, cricket, and sticks that I offered him in his own separate feeding container. He just wouldnt eat.
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[maturtlerescue]

I would recommend staying away from the eye drops sold in the pet stores. Vets do have eyedrops and dont need to have eye drops specifically for turtles. In fact, no such drop exists. There are many prescription eye drops and ointments that you can purchase through a vet that I would feel more comfortable using. These drops vets carry have been used successfully and ingredients are known. What the pet stores are selling are simply not good to recommend and in fact they can be dangerous to the turtle.

Eye problems can occur in turtles due to Vit A deficiency, but this is not usually the case. Many vets jump on the Vit A kick and automatically start with injections of Vit A. This can be toxic and deadly. An overdose of Vit A can cause skin to slough off in large amounts, where it will actually be raw. Its quite painful and usually almost impossible to save the turtle with a Vit A overdose. Vit A is abundant in many foods, such as vegetables. and dietary intake of these foods is sufficient to correct a deficiency and to maintain the needed levels of this vitamin in the bloodstream.

My recomendation is to keep looking for a vet that does understand turtles. It is very important to have a vet to turn to when the need arises. Self treating in dangerous and can be lethal. While information that you can get in a forum is valuable it is not meant to replace quality medical care. If you have a vet that is less versed in chelonian medicine, information you get from individuals on a forum or other source may be invaluable because it is based on experience, but still seek a vet that has some knowledge even if you are through this crisis. You'll be glad you did. I have been rehabbing turtles for nearly 10 yrs and am very experienced, but I still have a vet.

Debbie

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[Kohm]

My friend says that his RES is nuts about live shrimp. Maybe you can try that and small live fish. Only thing is that turtles are not very good at catching live food, so you can try those sold commercially dried and in cans, or offer them freshly killed ones. My turtles love dried shrimp, maybe because they smell good. I think the smell entices them.

Dog food might be good, since it is nutritionally balanced. Dry is usually too fatty, about 10% crude fat, and wet is better, but messier. It only has about 4% or less, which is about the same as commercial turtle pellets. I haven't really tried dog food myself, but it is recomended in many turtle books.

Liver has a lot of vitamin A (as well as B and D), and it is usually quite well received by turtles. I give mine a little once in a while as a treat and vitamin supplement.

All the best, hope this helps!
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