My red-eared slider has a respiratory infection. What to do until vet?

Without an exam, it can be difficult to determine what may be wrong. Confirm proper environmental parameters, especially temperature. Low temps can affect appetite in reptiles. You can offer bits of raw beef heart to stimulate the appetite. Be sure to offer a balanced diet including protein (feeder fish, nightcrawlers, etc.) fresh greens and vegetables and a small amount of commercial pellets. A calcium supplement and a powdered multivitamin should also be used. You can review slider care at the links below. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Red-Eared-Slider-Care-Sheet/ http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or eventually to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for reaching out about Iggy. Continue to follow your veterinarian's recommendations. Ensure that the environment is in the POTZ (preferred optimal temperature zone). Ensure that nutrition is optimal for healing. Good luck.

If possible, separate them until you get a diagnosis. Get a stool sample from the sick turtle and submit it to your veterinarian to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial infection. An exam with your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles is strongly recommended given the marked weight loss and lethargy. Increase water and ambient temperatures by a few degrees to support the sick turtle. Offer a biologically appropriate, species specific diet as well as proper vitamin and mineral supplementation. Check the UVB bulb and replace it of it is older than 6 months old. The symptoms you describe have multiple causes, so it is important to have an exam and testing to reach a diagnosis. Treatment will depend on the diagnosis. Follow the link below for information regarding care and husbandry of red eared sliders. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

Thanks for reaching out about Snappy. Sleeping is a sign of lethargy and illness, and a veterinary visit should be scheduled as soon as possible. Floating all the time is an indication of hyper-inflated lungs and possible respiratory infection. Systemic disease require systemic antibiotics, which a veterinarian can prescribe. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Dory and including a photo. Remove from an aquatic environment and dry dock. Heat support should be in the 80-85 F range. Allow to soak in a shallow, clean room temperature water for 1-2 hours twice daily, monitor to avoid drowning. A veterinary visit is mandatory for the prescription of antibiotics, which need to be injections, in an animal this ill. You need to find a veterinarian. Try the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV.org), they have a find a vet area. Good luck.

As long as she is improving, you can continue with the eye drops. Be sure to maintain water quality and offer foods high in Vitamin A. If she does not improve, becomes lethargic, develops eye discharge or stops eating, then have her examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles.