Hi , i adopted a yellow belly slider that was being re-homed for the 4th time... i called him dougie ... ive had him since begining of december 2010. when i first got him , he was fine, he settled in quickly and seemed happy and healthy...the last 3/4 days he's not been himself, he seems to have low energy, and he hasn't basked in 2 days, he seems very nervous and not his happy little self... but he's still eating... from reading through your previous answers to peoples questions i have his tank set up correctly ....
We change his water once a week and i use a water conditioner i bought in the local pet shop...
im worried about him, he used to love basking and was always delighted to see me when i came in , he'd go crazy in in tank and sit with his head right out of the water listening to me sing to me lol!
can anyone help please ,
Teresa

Have you checked water and basking temps? if the waters too warm/ baskings too cool he might feel happier staying in the water.

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Hi!

Do you have a water testing kit at all?

I am suspecting that the nitrate and ammonia levels in the tank may have peaked especially as you have had him for exactly a month. Whenever you set a tank up for fish or turtles there is an unavoidable peak at around the 30 day period. Often this catches new owners out as they lose all of their fish as they struggle to live in the extreme parameters. Turtles are normally a bit tougher. But for them ammonia is a real issue.

It is advisable really to set a tank up and leave it livestock free for at least 30 days before adding fish or turtles You can buy good bacteria to set up a tank and these are also a good idea, but I wouldn't rely on them. You can also use a bit of already 'levelled' out water from another tank which is known to be disease free to kick off a new tank's good bacteria

If you don't already have a water testing kit - please do get ASAP. You could use the paper strip type to test in this instance as quick, but the bottle/test tube type are better really. Just the basic set to test for PH, nitrates and ammonia.

In this first instance I would recommend you do an immediate water change. Say 20% out and a new 20% in conditioning the water with your water conditioner even 25%. Make sure you match the temperature well too.

You can also buy an instant ammonia neutraliser from the fish/turtle shop. You just add per instructions on the bottle.

The parameters will start to fall immediately with the water changes and if necessary repeat every day for a few days. Your little fella should start to be a lot brighter.

Also make sure that your heater is working and set to the correct temperature (normally around 27 deg C). Also that your filter is working well and efficiently as turtles create a lot of waste.

I am reasonably sure it's the above - my apologies if I've doubled up on others posts elsewhere, but I'm not sure which posts you are referring too

Good luck! Let us know how you get on!

hello i soke my terrapins in zalcol d its a veterinary formulated liquid calcium supplement with vitamin D3 and magnesium. for reptiles by either putting it in the drinking water or if necessary it can be given directly .and i also soke them in calcium d just to give them that extra boost i do this every time i clean them out and for 20 mins of each in fresh warm water