sick? 3 toed

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

weird2u

AC Members
Mar 31, 2010
15
0
0
I brought my 3 toed in to have her nails and beak trimmed. They trimmed the beak too short and sharp. She ended up rubbing her arm raw on the beak. That is in the healing stage now. But prior to the irritation and after the vet visit, she has been staying hidden in dark corners. If I pull her out she will eat but she will not come out for food or water on her own. When I put her near the water she will drink and go in on her own but she will only soak for under a minute. How do I figure out what is wrong?
 

RazzleFish

AC Members
Oct 28, 2009
1,293
0
36
Who trimmed her beak? Was the trip to the vet after the trimming or was it done there?
 

weird2u

AC Members
Mar 31, 2010
15
0
0
The trimming was done AT the vet. I brought her there 3 times before and never had a problem. I am guessing the vet did not do the trim and one of the "girls" did. When she handed my turtle back to me she was bleeding a little from her mouth (guess she nipped her). I brought her back and the vet did see and take care of her the second time. But now she just isn't acting the same.
 

Vicious_Fish

Moderator
Mar 6, 2007
5,339
5
62
43
The Land of the Lost
Real Name
Seth
After reading your previous thread, you are really going to have to change a few things around with your husbandry. Turtles are survivors and in general are pretty tough animals BUT.....they still can become sick with improper care and it can take months to years before they show any signs of it and sometimes that can be too late.

For starters box turtles really don't thrive indoors.....at all. But, since you can not keep your turtle outside (I believe I recall you saying that you lived in an apartment) you are going to have to duplicate the outdoors for your turtle. Letting it run around loose in your house is not a good idea and is unnatural. You are going to have to make an enclosure for it. This can be anything from a stock tank to a larger rubbermaid tub. Your turtle needs proper humidity levels that the normal house hold does not supply. You will need a thick layer of soil for your turtle to bury into. This is what it's trying to accomplish when it hides in the dark corners of your house. I would recommend buying bags or bricks of Eco Earth. Second, you must have UVB lighting for your turtle as well as a basking light if you don't already. UVB is very important for turtles because they need it for making vitamin D internally. If not supplied with it, they start taking it from their bones and they intern get MBD. This is what happens when you keep them indoors without exposure to unfiltered sunlight.

I would start feeding your turtle things that have vitamin A in it. It helps with the healing process in reptiles. Feed foods like grated carrots, yellow squash and zucchini. Also try feeding your turtle thawed shrimp. Also make sure you are dusting the food with reptile vitamins. I would pick up a bottle of Zoomed Turtle Eye Drops. They contain vitamin A and will help with healing. Just apply them to the turtle twice a day.

If you are willing the change a few things around I'm sure it will help to give your turtle a fighting chance.
 

weird2u

AC Members
Mar 31, 2010
15
0
0
Thanks Seth. I am working on creating a new castle for her. I forgot to mention she is also pushing all the bedding away from her so she can be on the bottom of the tank. No she is not burying herself, she actually removes it from her house.

I do have another question now. Why the eye drops? When I first got her and my boyfriend was "caring" for her she had frequent eye infections etc. The bottle is probably close to 20 years old so I think I should probably buy new. But why the eye drops.

Should I use the stuff to relive stress? Sorry I can't remember the name.
 

Vicious_Fish

Moderator
Mar 6, 2007
5,339
5
62
43
The Land of the Lost
Real Name
Seth
I'm glad to hear you're doing what you can to make her better. The eye drops are mainly for eye infections first but can be used for other infections. It's just easy to get the medication into the body through the mucus membrane by putting drops in her eyes as opposed to prying open her mouth.

I'm not sure exactly what product you're talking about but it sort of sounds like a cheap gimmick. It's nothing that can't be duplicated with a good enclosure, healthy food and TLC. :)
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store