my hatchling just died…
- This topic has 6 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 19 years, 6 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Hi everyone… I was wondering if someone could give me a hand. My hatchling just died from a respiratory infection after 2 vet visits. I loved my turtle and definitely want to get another one at some point, but first I want to make sure I did everything how it should have been done… If anyone could just point out mistakes and make suggestions it would be great…. OK… I kept my turtle in about 6 gallons of distilled water with an aquaclear filter and a stealth heater. I kept the water temp at 79 and the basking rock at 85. I added a little bit of salt… the salinity was about 1.002. I fed him in a separate container once a day with fresh water so he could drink as much as he wanted. I fed him reptomin pellets and dried shrimp, and frozen shrimp brine. I added calcium to his food. I always made sure to have the uvb light and the heat lamp on for 10-12 hours a day. About 2 weeks ago he started breathing with his mouth open… I did the research and took him to the vet twice in the last week. It was a respiratory infection and he got two injections (one each visit…6 days apart) i was also given a prescription of Baytril to inject into his food once a day. I talked to one guy who said that a lot of times the medicine injected directly into the turtle is too strong. Does anyone have any experience with this type of thing? Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks
I’m very sorry to hear about your hatchling. It is difficult to determine whether or not the the injections were of the proper dosage without knowing all the details but it is safe to say that respiratory infections are extremely difficult to overcome in hatchlings. I can find no fault with your setup other than possibly the size of the tank (a bit on the small side depending on how big your hatchling was). At any rate, this would not be the cause of your hatchling’s death. Sometimes, respiratory infections are indeed caused by the conditions that the keeper maintains the hatchling in but more likely than not, it is simply caught from other infected individuals and/or stress-induced. You may want to try a slightly older individual next time. Even though it certainly sounds like you were doing the right things, an older captive bred juvenile or adult will not be as susceptible to illness and give you a greater chance of success. All the best. -Stephen C — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “DonatelloDiamond”
I’m sorry to hear that he died. It sounds like you’ve done everything right, the only thing I can think of is perhaps the ambient air temperature was too low? Distilled water isn’t a good idea in general because it lacks minerals and trace elements that are necessary for their health and well being. I don’t think that would have caused it, but something to keep in mind for the future. 6 gallons sounds a bit small, but that depends on the size of your turtle, figure on 10 gallons per inch in length, and as I’m sure you know, you’ll need filtration for at least 3 times the size of aquarium as you’re using due to the massive amount of waste that turtles produce. Sometimes these things just can’t be predicted though… Adam DonatelloDiamond wrote:
— In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “Stephen Chew”
The tank was actually 10 gallons but had about 6 gallons of water. — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, Adam Stradtner
I am sorry about the loss of your hatchling. I have been breeding Diamondbacks for a long time and realize that an occasional respiratory infection does occur, However I have found that it is critical to keep the temperatures elevated at all times and especially when this occurs. The ideal water temperature is 82 degrees and the basking site should be around 88-90 degrees. The water should not be distilled, however, tapwater is just fine as long as a dechlorinator is used. In addition, particularly when terrapins are ill, I will make sure they are fed a diet which closer resembles their natural habitat consisting of live fish. I feed all my hatchlings mosquito fish and Jumbomin which is nutritionally balanced with great success. In addition, filtration is highly important as is a bi weekly percentage water change to keep the environment clean. It is truly important to have an easily accessible basking site with the proper UVA/UVB bulb…one in which they can get completely out of the water and get bone dry. I have found if hatchlings don’t have the right basking site it creates all kinds of problems such as skin fungus in addition to respiratory infections. Hopefully this information will help. Rich Hollander
I definitely had a basking area…he basked all the time so I don’t think that was an issue. The basking area had a ramp for easy access since he was so small and he was able to get up. He spent most of the day there. If I shouldn’t use distilled water, what kind of water should I use? I would rather not use tap water and thought distilled would be best because it is dechlorinated. Is there a good type of water to buy if I don’t want to use tap water? Otherwise, what kind of dechlorinator do you use? — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “RC Hollander”
- The forum ‘Diamondback Terrapins’ is closed to new topics and replies.