# Please Help we are desperate !!! Murray River Turtles



## Glen-and-shell (Apr 26, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

We are new to forums of any kind but we desperately need help for our turtles : Barry and Terry  

- Murray River Turtles 
- she is 15 months old
- 4 ft tank shared with another turtle of the same breed and age and sex.
- good filter
- UV light and heat lamp
- docking getting a little to small, we have just purchased a new 8 ft tank to make them more comfy
- heater set to between 24 & 26 degrees.
- shell size 14 x 16 cm
- has not spread to the other turtle

We went oversea's at Christmas time for 5 weeks but we had a person caring for them while we were away - when we returned barry had fungus on her, it started out small and we kept an eye on her but it has become worse. We have been using betadine solution on the effected area's and taking her out of the water for a couple of hours to dry her out, we do this daily, the fungus has been there for about a month still.

Now our other turtle terry has taken to attacking her and today after we returned home to my horror I have noticed that half her tail is gone - remaining is a stump and the place where she deficates from :cry: we have her in a separate tank now for safety and I plan to take her to the vets first thing in the morning but we are desperate for help to save our turtle - WE DONT WANT TO LOSE HER - we love them both but don't know what to do please help !!!

Does a normal vet know much about turtles or do I need a special one ?

Any help would be very much appreciate I am scared for our beloved turtles :cry: I have included pic's I think

Cheers Glen and Michelle


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 26, 2013)

P.s how do I upload photo's of our turtle  thanks in advance for any help )


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## Skeptic (Apr 26, 2013)

You should consult a vet straight away. Having said that, you could try a product called fungonex. Paint it on with a brush to the affected area and also treat the entire tank. 

If you've let it go to the point where your turtle has lost it's tail I think a vet is your best option. In the future you should probably take action sooner.

If you let people know the area you live in they might be able to suggest a suitable vet.


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 26, 2013)

Hi,

Her tail did not fall off our other turtle bit the tip of her tail off, not sure if turtles attack others if they are not well but it seems to be the case. We have been treating her daily for the fungus and keeping her dry .... we just put her back i her tank today as we had to go out and unfortunately the other turtle has bitten the tail of the sick turtle ... I agree the minute the vet opens in the morning we will be at their door


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 26, 2013)

We live in Beenleigh halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast so any idea's on a suitable vet would be very much appreciated


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## Skeptic (Apr 27, 2013)

I've been in this position and you need to remove the offending turtle or the injured turtle.


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi,

We have already placed the injured turtle in a separate tank for her safety, and plan on keeping them separated until we sort out her health issue. Vets first thing in the morning and fingers crossed we can help her, it is truly devastating to have a sick turtle, we research and care for them well we are just disappointed that the one time we have left them in another persons care we have returned to find a sick turtle .. and have truly tried everything that we have read on turtle fungus care to help her, but now is the time for a vet. Thankfully she is still eating well and moving around loads - docking for most of the daylight hours which is encouraging for now ) thanks so much for your advice it is truly appreciated


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## mummabear (Apr 27, 2013)

My suggestion would be to keep her out of the water until you take her to the vet.


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## Bluetongue1 (Apr 27, 2013)

I assume you have read and are following Craig Latta’s advice on treating fungal infections. He states that fungal infections on turtles are symptomatic of an underlying problem, usually related to husbandry. Those looking after your turtles are hardly like to alter your setup, such as temperature settings, lighting etc. The main thing they have control over is feeding. If they under fed your turtles you might expect them to have lost some weight but be otherwise fine. However, if they significantly over fed them, this can affect water quality, particular if filters have not been cleaned when needed. I would have been doing some major vacuuming, filtration cleaning and major water changes in the first week back. I would also double check anything that they “looked at” in case they managed to alter the setting. It does, however, sound more like a water quality issue from what you have said. Unfortunately, That may also not be simply the case and the sick turtle may have developed some form of internal infection. Given it has not responded to the antifungal treatment with a few days you have got assume that there is something more sinister going on – hence the need for veterinary intervention. 

I found it difficult to locate turtle vets on the internet but these two near you have been given the thumbs up as effective reptile vets. It might be worth a phone call to enquire as to their turtle expertise.

*Dr Deborah Monks* at Brisbane Birds & Exotics Veterinary Service
Corner Kessels Rd & Springfield St, Macgregor QLD 4109 (07) 3420 6773 (07) 3420 6670


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Brisbane Bird and Exotics Veterinary Service is located on the southside of Brisbane, less than 10 minutes drive from the Brisbane CBD. There is easy access from both the south-east freeway and the M1 (Gateway Arterial road). *Please Note: *Brisbane Bird & Exotics Veterinary Service is located in the same building as GreencrossKesselsRoadVeterinaryHospital.*Greencross Vets *
111 Beaudesert Road Moorooka QLD 4105 (07) 3892 1322 [email protected] 
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday 8:30am - 12:00pm
Sunday closed 

This bit of information may not be relevant to your situation, but is worth knowing. I have a friend in WA who keeps quite a number of Oblong, Flat-shelled and Pink-eared Turtles and others. He uses an over-the-counter proprietary fungal cure for fish that is added to the water. I must find out exactly what brand he uses.

Good luck with vet and treatment. While the circumstances are undesirable it is great to see people so genuinely concerned for their pet and not their pocket. You certainly deserve a positive outcome and I really hope you get it!

Blue


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## andynic07 (Apr 27, 2013)

The one that Blue suggested at Kessels rd is awesome and I would go there.


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all your help, we have our turtle booked in for an appointment in half an hour with Deborah Monks to see our sick turtle. Just to let everyone know that they are reasonably priced for veterinary care for reptiles, fingers crossed they can fix her and so happy to have found a specialist for turtles.

Thanks for your kind words on the care of our turtle she is much loved 

Cheers Glen and Michelle


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## saintanger (Apr 27, 2013)

i'v had this happen years ago wen i first started keeping turtles. its a fungus.

they need to get out of the water and dry their shell, so larger dock will be needed.
you might need to change your uv light (must be changed every 6 months)
the uv light must be within 30cm of the turtle for it to work
or give them natural sun light (large mesh cages are great for using on indoor turtles or a dog pen)
i also add turtle conditioner and anti fungle blocks to the water.
use a towl to gently wip off the funges and apply the bedatine but not near the eyes.
the reason the other turtle bit the sick one is because turtles are little pigs and the fungus might be causing the skin to bleed and if the other turtle can smell blood he will bite the sick one, so separate till she is better.

also a vet should give you some injections that will help fight the fungus if its bad.

let us know how you go


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi All,

We had a successful visit to the vet - ( Brisbane bird and exotics veterinary service ) and we are pleased to announce that it is not a fungus - the cause of her skin problem was infection from being attacked by our other turtle.

She has started anti-biotic injections ( she had her first one this morning ) and has to have an injection every 3 days until the infection clears - so from now on our turtles will be separated for their safety. We have been advised to keep up with the Betadine treatment and dry dock for 20 hours a day to help her.

Thanks to all the staff at the vets we highly recommend them to all and thanks for all the encouraging words it has been much appreciated.

A note to all : the vets said that it is a common mistake thinking it is always a fungus - she said 90 % of the time its from other turtles attacking when in shared enclosures ( so good to know ) they must be separated. For the sake of $150 it was well worth the information provided and quality vet care for our much loved turtle - after our experience we recommend vet treatment for reptiles when they are sick 

Cheers Glen and Michelle


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## Cypher69 (Apr 27, 2013)

Juz a bit confused...you kept referring to one of the turtles as a "she"...yet they both have boy names.

I was going to suggest that maybe the male is trying to mate, although aggressively with the female.
His "biting" to try & keep her in place whilst he tries to mount.


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## Glen-and-shell (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi Cypher,

Yes we gave both our turtles boys names when we first purchased them, but as we all know we couldn't sex them until they were older - sexed both as girls but we didn't want to change their names . The vet said that one turtle would always dominate the other so they need to be kept separated. We have just purchased an 8 ft tank for them so thankfully we have the space to keep them apart and healthy 

Cheers Glen and Michelle


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## Bluetongue1 (Apr 28, 2013)

Good to hear you were pleased with the level of expertise and service provided by the vet. Please do keep us informed on the turtle's progress - how it responds to the antibiotics, if you don't mind.

Sounds a lot more positive today.

Blue


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## Trent005722 (Apr 28, 2013)

Is it on her shell or flesh? If its flesh its from the other turtle. Had a similar problem just from my turtles biting each other. Might be wrong but mine were biting each other and the left over fleshy bits hanging off the bitten areas were turning white and gunky. I just separated them and mine healed.


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## Glen-and-shell (May 14, 2013)

Hi All,

We are happy to report that our turtle has made a full recovery, she has had several anti-biotic injections and has fully healed well worth the visit to the vet. They are both happy in their new 8 ft tank ( separated ) and thriving


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