sleepy baby dbt
- This topic has 3 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 18 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
i know similar topics have been posted 100 times, BUT.. i work at a state park and we have 3 baby dbts (about 9 months old) just today i noticed that one of them is quite lethargic and not eating. we have never had this problem with them before. they have adequate light and room to move, and we take care of them very well. they are fed daily and we have just started giving them turtle eye drops. i’m pretty concerned about him/her, since we have had it from birth. any suggestions? oh, and i just put him in quarentine- but i don’t have an extra filter and no one will be around to change his water over the weekend- do you think thats ok? thanks! allison
I’d be more concerned about keeping him warm enough, than the filter BTY is the tank they’re in warm enough? Though mine have never done it, I’ve read on this site that if the lights aren’t on long enough and/or the temperature is too low they sometimes try to hibernate I keep my indoor tanks at 78 with a warmer basking site – many recommend a higher temp, but that’s the pre-set on the shielded heaters… you can raise the temp a little with shallower water and a bigger light hope he recovers! PS what are the eye-drops for? — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “assateaguemcc”
Hi Allison, Did you get these little guys from the wild or are they Captive Bred? That makes a big difference. Do you have them if fresh or brackish water? Either way, I would make sure that you are keeping their water CRYSTAL clear by using a much larger filter than is really needed for whatever size tank you have them in. With DBT’s, we really need to OVER-filter our turtle tanks. From what you described, it sounds like they may have some eye issues??? I would start by raising the water temperature to 80 or 82 degrees and make sure that their basking site is in the mid 90 degree range. If you got them from the wild, I would slowly add enough salt to the water to get it to brackish levels (somewhere around 1.017 specific gravity). To be honest with you, leaving a sick turtle alone for the weekend without a filter, heater, or basking station does not sound like a good idea, but I guess you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do??? It just depends if he is really sick or just a little down in the dumps??? You are a better judge of that than anyone. Good luck, and please let us know if you have any other questions!
— In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “assateaguemcc”
- The forum ‘Diamondback Terrapins’ is closed to new topics and replies.