Baby turtles swimming funny
- Thread starter Qua
- Start date
ArmadilloPup
Well-Known Member
Hello there and welcome! I'm sorry your turtle isn't feeling well 
It could be a respiratory infection. It's a common illness, but it can be serious for babies, so it may be a good idea to find an vet that is familiar with turtles. It is possible that both babies are sick, but only one is showing symptoms.
Here's a care sheet where you can check if your water/basking temperatures are right for your turtles.
If you post a picture of your habitat, we can let you know if anything needs to be different. Pet stores often give the wrong advice.
It could be a respiratory infection. It's a common illness, but it can be serious for babies, so it may be a good idea to find an vet that is familiar with turtles. It is possible that both babies are sick, but only one is showing symptoms.
Here's a care sheet where you can check if your water/basking temperatures are right for your turtles.
If you post a picture of your habitat, we can let you know if anything needs to be different. Pet stores often give the wrong advice.
Qua
New Member
ArmadilloPup
Well-Known Member
Okay. I bear bad news then ?
I know this will be a lot to take in. Please don't be overwhelmed - we all started somewhere.
You'll need a bigger enclosure with filters. Turtles grow very fast, and they poop a lot. Until they are older, you can use an aquarium, but you will need a much larger one. It doesn't have to be an expensive tank. Anything that can hold water can be converted. Storage tubs, livestock troughs, pond liners, etc. The goal is to mimic a stream or pond as best as you can indoors.
Temperature is really important for reptiles. You'll need a gauge for the water temperature, and at least one more for the basking area under the lamp. That basking area needs to be right toasty, like in the 90s(Fahrenheit), but your water temperature should only be high 70s/low 80s.
I can't tell what type of light that is by the picture. If it's a coil light, you'll have to replace it. If it's a basking bulb, you'll be able to make use of it, but it can't be on at night. A really good source of UV light is a hooded lamp (made for reptiles, not fish!) which emits very little heat, and a separate ceramic-base lamp with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) bulb for heat day and night. You may need a water heater as well.
I know it's a lot of reading, but that caresheet that I linked will have all of the appropriate information for your species. You don't have to get exactly what is on that shopping list on the page, sometimes you can find better deals at a hardware store or on Amazon. It doesn't hurt to ask people here if you are looking for a specific item too.
Here are some older threads that show examples of indoor enclosures:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/slider-turtle-tank-help.170822/
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/new-addition-to-the-pond.180119/
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/indoor-water-turtle-setups-for-breeding.160716/
I'm sure more turtle owners can chime in during the daytime.
I know this will be a lot to take in. Please don't be overwhelmed - we all started somewhere.
You'll need a bigger enclosure with filters. Turtles grow very fast, and they poop a lot. Until they are older, you can use an aquarium, but you will need a much larger one. It doesn't have to be an expensive tank. Anything that can hold water can be converted. Storage tubs, livestock troughs, pond liners, etc. The goal is to mimic a stream or pond as best as you can indoors.
Temperature is really important for reptiles. You'll need a gauge for the water temperature, and at least one more for the basking area under the lamp. That basking area needs to be right toasty, like in the 90s(Fahrenheit), but your water temperature should only be high 70s/low 80s.
I can't tell what type of light that is by the picture. If it's a coil light, you'll have to replace it. If it's a basking bulb, you'll be able to make use of it, but it can't be on at night. A really good source of UV light is a hooded lamp (made for reptiles, not fish!) which emits very little heat, and a separate ceramic-base lamp with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) bulb for heat day and night. You may need a water heater as well.
I know it's a lot of reading, but that caresheet that I linked will have all of the appropriate information for your species. You don't have to get exactly what is on that shopping list on the page, sometimes you can find better deals at a hardware store or on Amazon. It doesn't hurt to ask people here if you are looking for a specific item too.
Here are some older threads that show examples of indoor enclosures:
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/slider-turtle-tank-help.170822/
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/new-addition-to-the-pond.180119/
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/indoor-water-turtle-setups-for-breeding.160716/
I'm sure more turtle owners can chime in during the daytime.
Your turtle is swimming in a way that is a classic sign of a respiratory illness that has one of the lungs holding water. Not a hopeful sign. They have been too cold in your setup. As mentioned above, the water needs to be 78°-80° for a baby and a good basking place of about 100°. Your light is too far from the basking area to give that temperature for them. so there is no way for them to heat up. Sliders are avid baskers and need that way to get their body temp up and metabolism working properly.
Although your tank looks pretty to you, it is very confusing for a turtle to see all those colors it would not naturally see and deal with. Turtles have better color vision than you do and use colors and patterns to identify items and other turtles. The pieces are also too big. Food will fall down between them and the turtles cannot move them Digging around in gravel and small rocks is excellent exercise for a turtles, especially one being kept in a small tank!
I also recommend lots of fake plants. A young turtle grows up hiding in plants. I believe the tow things most responsible for baby turtles dying in captivity are low temperatures and stress. Give them plants to hide in and feel secure.
Here's how I set up one of my rearing tanks for spotted turtle babies:
For natural activity - Here's some 6 mo olds digging through the gravel in another tank of different turtles that hatch in my pond area:
good info above. It is important you do get a filter - my water turtle had a respiratory infection and would float/swim lopsided. what actually happened was he inhaled some dirty water that went into his lungs.
they also need a place to dry off their body completely, otherwise they will get fungus and not be able to shed properly, All of this is said above, but I wanted to reiterate as these are very important.
they also need a place to dry off their body completely, otherwise they will get fungus and not be able to shed properly, All of this is said above, but I wanted to reiterate as these are very important.
jeff kushner
Well-Known Member
Don't let the "old guys" intimidate you with their knowledge and spectacular enclosures like Marks(that really is nice Mark!). You've started at a good spot with a nice turtle home. You did nothing wrong but it's the stuff we don't know that we need to learn quick when one of our little friends is in trouble and very smartly, you came here and have gotten some great advice.
They can help your little guy before it's too late. I raised water turtles for nearly 6 decades....the folks here are right, he has pneumonia , typically caused by low temps. He needs heat and no led or fluorescent bulb can provide it. You must be cognizant of the fact that you want your overhead CHE bulb or heat source to the side and not over water. Duh, right? The heat will radiate out from the bottom and you don't want to put little Junior in "the chair" by having the fixture fall in by accident! Yikes! Once you get it set up with water 3" below the top and a filter going, the biosphere will take care of itself mostly. Don't get overly concerned with how warm it might get on his basking rock(w/i reason).....he will leave once he warms up.
Good luck,
