Need advice RI outbreak.

Toddrickfl1

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I don't know what's going on here and I need some advice from someone with more experience. I recently bought a new turtle a little more than a month ago. I quarantined her from my other turtles and was planning to quarantine for at least month. She was in a tub in the basement with my pond a few feet away from the pond. She was acting fine for a few weeks but then stopped eating, started sleeping on the basking area all day, and opening her mouth a lot. I took her to the vet where they diagnosed her with a severe RI. She was given an antibiotic injection of baytril and I was suppose to return for a second in 2 days. Sadly she passed away that night. Then as of a few days ago one of the turtles in my pond starting presenting the same symptoms. I immediately quarantined her and took her to the vet. Same diagnosis RI, and given Baytril injection. She seems to be doing ok now, still quarantined. However yesterday I noticed ANOTHER one of my turtles in the pond was not eating and tonight when I got home, same thing sleeping on the basking area, and what appears to be gasping for air. I don't understand how this is happening. The new turtle that past away had no contact whatsoever with the pond or other turtles and I washed my hands Everytime I touched her or her water. I don't know what to do and I'm freaking out I don't want to lose anymore of my turtles. Am I missing something? Any advice as to what I should do? Should I separate all my turtles from each other, quarantine everyone? Do a water change on the pond? Could something in my husbandry be causing this? Any and all advice would be much appreciated. Oh ya and these are sliders and a Cooter I'm talking about. The Cooter is the one that started acting sick today. Sorry for the long post.
@mark1 @Markw84 @Kapidolo Farms @Yvonne G @shellfreak
 

Moozillion

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:eek: OMG!!
I'm so sorry to hear this!
I wish I knew what to suggest, but I have no experience with this. I will be watching this thread!
Best wishes and big electronic hugs to you. :(:<3:
 

Toddrickfl1

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Thank you @Moozillion @KarenSoCal @Maro2Bear @vladimir and @ZEROPILOT
I really don't understand this. My Tortoises are upstairs in completely different rooms but I'm paranoid to even touch them because I don't know how this keeps spreading. I've been wearing rubber gloves to prepare their food. Only other thing I've thought about is the turtles have all been eating the same greens, maybe Salmonella?
 

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I'm not a water turtle person, but my first impression was maybe the cooler weather has caused a drop in water temperature?
 

Toddrickfl1

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I'm not a water turtle person, but my first impression was maybe the cooler weather has caused a drop in water temperature?
That would be a first thought for me too however we haven't had any drops in temps. It's been been over 90 degrees for 3 weeks and running now. It's been like an endless summer here.
 

Markw84

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I have found that when I have a change in temperatures, there is a greater chance for RI issues to start cropping up. Although as I type you answered about 90° temps there, the nighttime lows are quite different. A 90° day with an overnight low of 65° is a totally different environment than a 90° day with an overnight low of 45°, especially to a chelonian!! If you were to check, you would find ground temperatures in your area have probably dropped at least 5-10° this past month. In your basement you would be very affected by that. But the air temps start to drop dramatically overnight creating a scenario where the air can be substantially lower than water temps. Do you monitor your water and air temps there? I have seen these issues come up much more when water temperatures are quite a bit higher than air temperatures as we can get in the fall overnight. Open top tubs are also very susceptible to this temp differential happening. In addition, if they are being exposed to shortening light cycles and lowering UV levels, their metabolic activity is changing. They may not be eating quite as much, yet we feed just as much putting a greater load on the filter and water quality.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I have found that when I have a change in temperatures, there is a greater chance for RI issues to start cropping up. Although as I type you answered about 90° temps there, the nighttime lows are quite different. A 90° day with an overnight low of 65° is a totally different environment than a 90° day with an overnight low of 45°, especially to a chelonian!! If you were to check, you would find ground temperatures in your area have probably dropped at least 5-10° this past month. In your basement you would be very affected by that. But the air temps start to drop dramatically overnight creating a scenario where the air can be substantially lower than water temps. Do you monitor your water and air temps there? I have seen these issues come up much more when water temperatures are quite a bit higher than air temperatures as we can get in the fall overnight. Open top tubs are also very susceptible to this temp differential happening. In addition, if they are being exposed to shortening light cycles and lowering UV levels, their metabolic activity is changing. They may not be eating quite as much, yet we feed just as much putting a greater load on the filter and water quality.
Thanks for your response Mark. Temps at night have only fallen slightly so far this Autumn. I think the lowest drop we've had so far is 68-70ish degrees. I don't monitor the air temperature down there. I have been monitoring the water temperature and its been consistently between 75-80. I've got two external in line water heaters I was planning to hook up to my canister filters once temps started falling. I'm thinking that's a bad idea now and maybe I should find away to keep the ambient temperature of the basement up instead and not just the water.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I'm not a water turtle person, but my first impression was maybe the cooler weather has caused a drop in water temperature?
Thanks for your response yvonne
 

Markw84

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Thanks for your response Mark. Temps at night have only fallen slightly so far this Autumn. I think the lowest drop we've had so far is 68-70ish degrees. I don't monitor the air temperature down there. I have been monitoring the water temperature and its been consistently between 75-80. I've got two external in line water heaters I was planning to hook up to my canister filters once temps started falling. I'm thinking that's a bad idea now and maybe I should find away to keep the ambient temperature of the basement up instead and not just the water.
I agree. I like to keep my air temps more in line with water temps in a turtle room. I don't mind warmer, but I avoid much cooler. Your water temps sound perfect.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I agree. I like to keep my air temps more in line with water temps in a turtle room. I don't mind warmer, but I avoid much cooler. Your water temps sound perfect.
Ok thanks. Does an antibiotic shot every 48 hours, 3 times sound about right? Or is the vet just trying to make more money off me?
 

Toddrickfl1

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@Toddrickfl1 I don't have anything to add but you're definitely in good hands with Mark :) I'm hoping for a swift recovery for all of your turtles :<3: Keep us updated.
Thanks Vlad, really hoping no one else gets sick and everyone can recover quickly from this. The one That's gone thru a few treatments already has perked up and began eating a little again so I think I'm headed in the right direction.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I forget, how many aquatic turtles do you have now @Toddrickfl1 ?
I have 6 now. 5 of which I raised from Hatchlings so im pretty attached to them. 4 sliders, one Cooter, and one painted. Did get some weird looks at the vet in the waiting room when everyone else has their dog or cat and in sitting there with a turtle! Lol They mean a lot to me though, even the one I didn't have long that past. I guess you have to be a turtle/tortoise person to understand.
 

vladimir

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I have 6 now. 5 of which I raised from Hatchlings so im pretty attached to them. 4 sliders, one Cooter, and one painted. Did get some weird looks at the vet in the waiting room when everyone else has their dog or cat and in sitting there with a turtle! Lol They mean a lot to me though, even the one I didn't have long that past. I guess you have to be a turtle/tortoise person to understand.

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a false Map and a Western Painted which we've had since they were hatchlings (got them in 2008), and a RES which we adopted about a monther later when he was about a year old.

I definitely can relate to being the only one in the Vet's waiting room with a turtle :) And I completely understand how attached you can become.
 

Markw84

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Ok thanks. Does an antibiotic shot every 48 hours, 3 times sound about right? Or is the vet just trying to make more money off me?
No it does not to me. I am not a veterinarian. But due to the lack of knowledge most vets have of reptile care, I have done lots of research myself and sought out as much info as possible when I have run into a very experienced reptile vet.

As far as I know, the injectable baytril was produced by Bayer to be used only once. Follow up should be orally. It creates too much tissue damage at the injection site since it is so alkaline. I would feel more comfortable using fortaz. Baytril is a big gun and should be used only when necessary with chelonians.
 
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