Why is my baby turtle opening its mouth to breathe and not eating?

Be sure to feed her in the water. Water depth should be no more than 3-4 inches at her size. You can offer appropriately sized prey such as crickets or dubia roaches. Brine shrimp, tubifex worms and fresh greens and fruit can also be offered. Commercial pellets or sticks should be a staple. Lethargy, swimming crooked or blowing bubbles are typically signs seen in cases of RI. The "gaping" (opening her mouth) could be her attempt to intimidate you. Follow the link below for more information regarding care. The link is for red eared sliders, but care of YBS is the same. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

I am sorry that Kai isn't feeling well. From what you are describing, he may have a respiratory infection - this could be isolated to his upper respiratory system (nose and trachea/windpipe) or it could also be involving the lower respiratory system as well (lungs, such as pneumonia). I would recommend taking Kai to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can perform an examination, and may recommend taking radiographs (x-rays) to see what his lungs look like. They may also collect some of the fluid to evaluate for bacterial populations to see if there is an infection. They can then prescribe treatments depending on what they find - these may include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. Please do not give Kai any human medications at home, as many of these can be harmful for our scaly friends. I hope that this gives you a place to start, and that Kai feels better very soon.

Thanks for reaching out about your baby turtle and including photos. This turtle appears to be very ill and is need of seeing a veterinarian, as soon as possible. Check and correct water quality for temperature and water quality. Heat support should be warm. Good luck.

Clean the tank and perform a partial water change. Rinse the filter media in some tank water, not tap water, to preserve beneficial bacteria. Make sure the water is warm, between 75F and 86 F, and the basking area is at proper temp ( 85 F to 90 F). Low temps can affect activity in reptiles. She may need a few days to reacclimate to you, even though you weren't gone long. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, swimming crooked, difficulty breathing or discharge from the eyes or nose. If necessary, have her examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose and treat injury or infection.

Hi, I’m sorry to hear about Tooter! He sounds very tiny, and that’s a bit concerning as there is a minimum size for legal sale of turtles in the US (greater than 4 inches). Regardless, there are a lot of possible reasons Tooter may not be eating. It’s impossible to say without knowing the details of your tank set up and doing an exam on Tooter. But the most common problems we see in aquatic turtles (I am assuming Tooter is an aquatic species) are lack of UVB light causing metabolic bone disease, poor water quality, inappropriate temperatures causing immune suppression and infections, vitamin A deficiency causing eye and nose discharge among other signs, and other problems. Since this is a long list, and some of these issues are easier to treat than others, I would highly recommend you bring Tooter to see a veterinarian for an examination and husbandry evaluation. In the meantime, check out anapsid.org and read the Chelonian section (red rated slider subsection) to make sure your husbandry is adequate. Sometimes, reptiles simply don’t eat because of a temperature issue, so it is best to rule that out first! If you would like to discuss turtle husbandry or Tooter’s care in more detail, feel free to request a consult. Good luck!

Give him some time to warm up then offer fresh food. Make sure pellets or sticks are small enough for him to eat. You can also try freshly molted crickets or mealworms. The movement may stimulate his appetite.

Thanks for reaching out about Patrisha and including a photo. The dark spot on the plastron is probably due to the thin shell and internal organs underneath. Hemorrhage under the shell can also appear like this. Check and correct husbandry especially water and environmental temperature. A veterinary visit could help assist with diagnosis and treatment. Offer a baby food via a syringe might give calories. Good luck.