Help Please! Baby Spotted Looks Sick!

The-Great-Stash

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I recently purchased a baby Spotted on Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day. And for the 3 days since I got him (yes, he's a male), he has been basking and being very curious of his new 20 gallon home complete with canister filter, 3 inches of water level, water heater that keeps his water 78° F, a UVB fixture, a heat spot fixture sitting just well over a basking spot, he hasnt eaten (to my knowledge), and still wont eat. I thought that perhaps its just stress to a new environment and needs to get over it eventually. But it has been a week, and I am now noticing that he has white stuff on his face, especially the eyes. I also noticed that he looked as he was gasping a little with his beaked mouth pointed up towards the light. He has been doing nothing but sleep, I believe. He is also housed with a baby Mississippi Mud, but it eats and swims just fine and dandy. Nothing wrong with it which I find interesting. This is my spotted now...
20161129_174137.jpg
Is he shedding? Stressed? Or some type of infection? Please help me out, I would most certainly appreciate it very much! Thanks.
 

Moozillion

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I'm sorry, i don't know anything about spotted turtles, but I really, REALLY think you should keep him SEPARATELY from your little mud turtle before he gets it too.:(
Hopefully more knowledgeable people will be along soon.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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It sounds and looks like he is sick, but it could also be stress related.
They need to be separated immediately.
I do not know this species either, but if no one else chips in, you need to visit a specialist herp vet as soon as possible.
 

mark1

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1 would get him to a vet , get him on some antibiotic , injectable .........keep him 83 degrees ...... i'd keep him in a small plastic tub of sphagnum moss with enough water to cover the moss , partially submerge the small plastic tub in your 20 gallon tank with the water in the 20 gallon tank 83 degrees , one end of the tub use flat rock and a small basking light in the day and a ceramic heat bulb at night so he can get hot if he wants , setup like folks make incubators for their eggs ....... feed him in a separate small plastic tub with leaves so he doesn't feel exposed , small redworms halved , maggots and bloodworm .... after he starts eating add some pellets ..... the most important thing is the vet and antibiotics , i'd about guarantee it's a respiratory infection , a decent vet will have no problem dosing him , have the vet show you how to inject him ....... maybe someone got a better easier to understand solution , but that'd be , and has been , mine ......
 

The-Great-Stash

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1 would get him to a vet , get him on some antibiotic , injectable .........keep him 83 degrees ...... i'd keep him in a small plastic tub of sphagnum moss with enough water to cover the moss , partially submerge the small plastic tub in your 20 gallon tank with the water in the 20 gallon tank 83 degrees , one end of the tub use flat rock and a small basking light in the day and a ceramic heat bulb at night so he can get hot if he wants , setup like folks make incubators for their eggs ....... feed him in a separate small plastic tub with leaves so he doesn't feel exposed , small redworms halved , maggots and bloodworm .... after he starts eating add some pellets ..... the most important thing is the vet and antibiotics , i'd about guarantee it's a respiratory infection , a decent vet will have no problem dosing him , have the vet show you how to inject him ....... maybe someone got a better easier to understand solution , but that'd be , and has been , mine ......
I was thinkin' the vet too. Sadly, there arent that many places I know of here in San Antonio that specializes in reptiles...except for one where I took some leopard geckos to get tested for crypto. The only tubs I have are mens shoe boxes that are 14x10x5. I also have live anacharis and some duckweed plus a sizable flat rock for a temp basking area. Would that help? Also, how should I orient the box within the aquarium, and the water depth?
 

mark1

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14x10x5 should fit well in a 20gallon tank , the water depth in the 20 should be at least half the tank , so you can heat it with an aquarium heater , the plastic tubs should be submerged so the water is the same level as the tank , the idea is to keep the water in both containers the same temp , 83 degrees .... a semi sealed cover will keep the humidity high and allow some air flow ...... I've raised quite a few hatchlings in dried sphagnum moss I got from home depot , you can clean it by rinsing a couple times and then toss it .... it's easier to clean than live plants ...... the biggest deal is getting a vet to treat him as soon as possible .......... i'd personally always get a hatchling sized turtle eating in a temporary container before putting them in a permanent tank ..... when they're that tiny , dosing , at least from what I've seen , the vet cuts the antibiotic to a point where the shot is like .1cc , only a couple drops , I think they just cut it with saline ? I've seen him use amikacin and fortaz , never seen him use baytril .....and I've seen some very sick hatchlings pull through .... be careful you don't overheat him , or let him get cold ......keep him warm to and from the vet ..... i'm not real good at explaining stuff , i'd hate to see you lose the little guy , good luck ........
 

The-Great-Stash

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14x10x5 should fit well in a 20gallon tank , the water depth in the 20 should be at least half the tank , so you can heat it with an aquarium heater , the plastic tubs should be submerged so the water is the same level as the tank , the idea is to keep the water in both containers the same temp , 83 degrees .... a semi sealed cover will keep the humidity high and allow some air flow ...... I've raised quite a few hatchlings in dried sphagnum moss I got from home depot , you can clean it by rinsing a couple times and then toss it .... it's easier to clean than live plants ...... the biggest deal is getting a vet to treat him as soon as possible .......... i'd personally always get a hatchling sized turtle eating in a temporary container before putting them in a permanent tank ..... when they're that tiny , dosing , at least from what I've seen , the vet cuts the antibiotic to a point where the shot is like .1cc , only a couple drops , I think they just cut it with saline ? I've seen him use amikacin and fortaz , never seen him use baytril .....and I've seen some very sick hatchlings pull through .... be careful you don't overheat him , or let him get cold ......keep him warm to and from the vet ..... i'm not real good at explaining stuff , i'd hate to see you lose the little guy , good luck ........
Just put him on some Baytrill at the vet today. She gave me a weeks dosages plus the needles, one per day. Also, I have stuff for his nostrils too. Atm, he is in his hospital box in an inch of treated water and a rock tod ry off just in case, and some fake floating plants. The entire box is on a heat pad and under a heat bulb keeping the water temp around 85° as recommended. He is also away from any draft. Now its just a waiting game for the antibiotics and constant care to yield any good results, hopefully good enough for him to properly maintain his boyancy and increase his appetite. His eyes are still shut, but hopefully theyll open soon enough.
 

mark1

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i would check to make sure it's one dose per day , i haven't used baytril in quite some time , but everytime i did , if i remember correctly , it was every 48-72 hours ........
 

The-Great-Stash

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i would check to make sure it's one dose per day , i haven't used baytril in quite some time , but everytime i did , if i remember correctly , it was every 48-72 hours ........
I just gave him his 1st home dosage 3 hours ago- the shot in his skin, and the other flushed into his nostrils. I used a swab over his eyes too, and already his right eye is slowly starting to open up alittle.
 

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