Hi All,
I am looking desperately for help with my Eastern Long Neck Turtle. He has been unwell for a few days now. Maybe Tueday/Wednesday I first notice something wrong. He was on the dock sleeping (never does this) and wouldnt respond to sound usually comes looking for food when he hears someone. Anyway he finally woke and we put him in the water to feed him. From then on he was on the dock every time I went out and never ran back into the water like he normally would. Started to eat less by Thursday.
I took him to the vet Thurday night and they could not help me because everything looked normal. So they referred me to a specialist for reptiles and I went on the Friday. They looked him all over. His shell was perfect, his body was fine there was nothing unusual about him physically at all. They checked in his mouth and everything was normal. The only thing they noted is he was a bit thin which they assume he had slowly not been eating as much as normal and started loosing weight which cant really be seen on the surface (she felt his body inside his shell.) The only other way to find anything wrong is blood tests but he is quite small and she said they wouldnt get enough blood to do all the tests theyd need to. So I was prescribed a general antibiotic to fight any internal infection he may have. This is a needle I need to give him every 3 days. He had the first dose Friday at the vet.
After coming home that day he will now not eat at all. He sleeps alot and he will not swim by choice. I put him in the water twice a day to attempt to feed him which he will not eat. He does not really swim just floats. When he does swim he still just floats but not lopsided at all just straight. When he is on the dock, he just sits there with his head laying along the dock and he sleeps alot. His eyes are often closed.
I am just at wits end there is nothing else I can do for him besides his antibiotics and persisting with offering him food. (he eats a mix of things mainly turtle blocks but he has blood worms as a treat and the odd live fish.)
I guess I feel Ive done all I can do for him by getting him looked at by a specialist but I would really like to know whats wrong with him. I have googled and read so many things and Im really no closer to a solution.
If anyone has any ideas Id really love to hear. Although ultimately Id love to be able to heal him and get him back to normal, I really would just love to know what is actually wrong with him.
As I said everything else about him seems perfectly normal as far as his shell and skin etc so whatever it is has to be an internal problem.
I apologise for the long post, I wanted to add in as much detail regarding whats been going on as possible.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
I am looking desperately for help with my Eastern Long Neck Turtle. He has been unwell for a few days now. Maybe Tueday/Wednesday I first notice something wrong. He was on the dock sleeping (never does this) and wouldnt respond to sound usually comes looking for food when he hears someone. Anyway he finally woke and we put him in the water to feed him. From then on he was on the dock every time I went out and never ran back into the water like he normally would. Started to eat less by Thursday.
I took him to the vet Thurday night and they could not help me because everything looked normal. So they referred me to a specialist for reptiles and I went on the Friday. They looked him all over. His shell was perfect, his body was fine there was nothing unusual about him physically at all. They checked in his mouth and everything was normal. The only thing they noted is he was a bit thin which they assume he had slowly not been eating as much as normal and started loosing weight which cant really be seen on the surface (she felt his body inside his shell.) The only other way to find anything wrong is blood tests but he is quite small and she said they wouldnt get enough blood to do all the tests theyd need to. So I was prescribed a general antibiotic to fight any internal infection he may have. This is a needle I need to give him every 3 days. He had the first dose Friday at the vet.
After coming home that day he will now not eat at all. He sleeps alot and he will not swim by choice. I put him in the water twice a day to attempt to feed him which he will not eat. He does not really swim just floats. When he does swim he still just floats but not lopsided at all just straight. When he is on the dock, he just sits there with his head laying along the dock and he sleeps alot. His eyes are often closed.
I am just at wits end there is nothing else I can do for him besides his antibiotics and persisting with offering him food. (he eats a mix of things mainly turtle blocks but he has blood worms as a treat and the odd live fish.)
I guess I feel Ive done all I can do for him by getting him looked at by a specialist but I would really like to know whats wrong with him. I have googled and read so many things and Im really no closer to a solution.
If anyone has any ideas Id really love to hear. Although ultimately Id love to be able to heal him and get him back to normal, I really would just love to know what is actually wrong with him.
As I said everything else about him seems perfectly normal as far as his shell and skin etc so whatever it is has to be an internal problem.
I apologise for the long post, I wanted to add in as much detail regarding whats been going on as possible.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
i know this is an old thread but just wondering if you found out what was wrong with your turtle? i have a turle here, exact same symptoms as what yours had, hes lived in a pond in my backyard for the last five years or so, im not sure how old he is but anyway, i took him to the vet today who said he had septicemia and gave him an injection which i need to repeat every 3 days. i have 2 weeks worth of injections and the vet said id need to take him back in 2 weeks to get checked again. i spent all morning googling 'sick turtle floating eyes closed' and this is what i kept coming up with lol so hopefully this info helps someone 
