Why does my turtle look like hes gasping for air?
If you notice any one of the following symptoms, it could be a sign that your turtle is sick and needs to see a vet. The turtle has a runny nose or mucous (snot or boogers) around its nostrils, or has puffy eyes. Wheezing, gasping, coughing, snoring, or persistent sneezing.
What do I do if my turtle is gasping for air?
you could try to tilt him head down and GENTLY pull his front legs in and out. It may cause him to cough up some water. If he seems to recover keep in a tiny shallow amonut of water in a warm place for a while. Don’t put him right back in the deep tank.
What does it mean when a baby turtle keeps opening its mouth?
There are many reasons why your turtle could have their mouth open. Some of the most common reasons include eating, uncomfortable living conditions, hunger, aggression, and respiratory infection. Your turtle might just stretching or even yawning.
Why does my musk turtle keep opening his mouth?
Yawning or gaping underwater is not such a worry as the same behaviour on land. If this is repeated behaviour then it is very possibly an early sign that the turtle has a respiratory tract infection and is trying to force more air into its lungs.
What to do if a turtle opens its mouth?
Aside from the mouth opening, the turtle is still eating and basking. I had a similar situation to your self about having a turtle with RI and not being able to take him to the vets. Isolate him if he is with any other turtles and raise the basking and water temps.
What should I do if my turtle has ri?
One thing I found helped when I was treating our turtles for RI was to dry-dock the turtle for a couples of hours twice a day. All you need to do this a large tupperware disk, 8″ – 10″ in size, and a source of warmth, a 60 watt or 100 watt lamp.
What should the water temp be for a sick turtle?
You can also use the heat from a 100 watt lamp to keep the water warm. If the water is neither hot nor cold on your wrist, the water temp is about 82 – 84 F… a good temp for a sick turtle. RI’s are contageous so you definitely need to keep it separate from other turtles.
What to put in a turtle isolation tank?
A small plastic tote or drawer with shallow water and a rock to climb on makes a good isolation tank.
Aside from the mouth opening, the turtle is still eating and basking. I had a similar situation to your self about having a turtle with RI and not being able to take him to the vets. Isolate him if he is with any other turtles and raise the basking and water temps.
How can you tell if a turtle is having respiratory problems?
Respiratory problems are common with turtles and they can range from mild to very serious, particularly pneumonia. Some common respiratory signs your turtle is in trouble are sneezing, wheezing, and gasping. They may also gape, which is breathing with their mouth wide open, and yawn frequently.
How to tell if a box turtle has an abscess?
Turtles with respiratory infections may have excess mucus in their oral cavities (seen as bubbles in the mouth), nasal discharges, lethargy, loss of appetite, open-mouth breathing, and wheezing, and may stretch the neck out with each breath. An abscess is a pus-filled swelling within a tissue of the body.
What does it mean when a turtle is not eating?
This could be a sign of an internal infection or an obstruction in their gastrointestinal tract. With female turtles, lack of eating can also be a sign of dystocia, which means that she has eggs unable to pass normally from her body.
