5 of my 6 turtles died! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY

[brendamhg]

hi...I am really really extremely sad because all of my turtles but one suddenly died...they were soft shell turtles and i got them like a month ago...i think it is too late to save the last one because she looks pretty sick but i want to know if someone can tell my why they died because i feel so guilty because i feel like i killed them :'(... they were babies, like 5 cm diameter, they were in a 40 L tank, it was full of water and i put two islands on the surface so they could rest, it has sand on the bottom because they like to bury themselves and a filter... at the beginning they were fine, all energetic and eating...suddenly out of nowhere one of them died, and i was really sad but i thought maybe she was already sick or she didnt make it because she was the smallest one. (realy tiny). then another one died and i got really worried and i removed some artificial plants i had put because i thought maybe they were infected or something...i put salt, an anti-chlorine and another thing i bought that supposedly is for turtle aquariums, to kill bacteria...after a while all of them appeared to have hair, like cotton...i read it was fungus and i should treat it giving them more dry land and i bought medicine and put drops on them and suddenly they stopped eating and then they died only one is left, but she seems to be very sick..she doesn't have hairs anymore but she stays all the time on the island when they were used to swimming and burying themselves. can someone tell me why they died? what did i miss ?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi! I'm very sorry about your turtles.
I don't know anything about them so I can't help. Some info others might need to know is do they have a UV and heat lamp? What did you feed them? How often did you change the water?

 

[brendamhg]

they didn't have a UV lamp because where i live it is not needed because of the temperature and i had them near the window so they received enough sunlight...i fed them turtle pellets and small shrimp...i changed the water twice a week...i researched a lot before buying them and was really constant with their care...

 

[Bobby56]

they didn't have a UV lamp because where i live it is not needed because of the temperature and i had them near the window so they received enough sunlight...i fed them turtle pellets and small shrimp...i changed the water twice a week...i researched a lot before buying them and was really constant with their care...

I've heard that uvb rays won't go thru windows

 

[Jess1ca]

I've heard that uvb rays won't go thru windows

I have a small turtle in a tank next to a window but still supplement a lamp. My turtle is also a filthy creature and I have to change his water daily or every other day... Have u been changing they're water regularly? I keep a painted turtle and don't know much about others so I may be way off base here?!

 

[Jess1ca]

I forgot to mention that add water change I clean my turtles shell too, they dont like it at first but become accustomed to it pretty quick, if I do it next to my guppy tank he will stick his neck way out to watch them and I can get in there with a q tip

 

[herp_mommy]

Did you cycle the tank? Aquatic reptiles need cycled water just like fish or the ammonia will build up.

 

[HN1]

Moved to Amphibian Care, Health, & Keeping.

 

[Nomadu571]

Firstly all turtles/shelled animals and reptiles need UVB radiation. It DOES NOT PENETRATE GLASS OR PLASTIC. Your sunglasses are also designed to repel this type of radiation (UVA & UVB) showing how easily they can be deflected. Your tuRtles wing soft shell would also depend heavily on this radiation for their inner bone structure. However going without this light is not fatal for months/years, maybe weeks depending on where is was purchased but certainly wouldn't have contributed to their death in a few days.
Turtles also rely heavily on the oxygen content of the air in the water, they do breathe from the surface but also absorb air and minerals through their skin, hence why it is wrinkled, so they can extend it to have more surface area, so water quality is still of vital importance. Most aquatic turtles need large water changes weekly if not twice weekly, as they are very messy poop wise but also when eating they leave lots of scraps.
To have died so suddenly while in your care I would have a look at where you purchased them and how they keep their animals. If it is the same setup at you (no UVB) they could already have been very mal nourished and possibly diseased. Being soft shell also they are prone to disease as they do not have their hard calcium filled shell to protect them and keep their bodies at good constant temperature, another reason they also need a basking area at the correct temp, in order to help fight disease and fungal infections. Without the correct setup for aquatic turtles their days were numbered anyway however. Food is another important factor, depending on what your store or you were feeding them, they could have suffered.
Take the last one in a tub to a vet and get a professional opinion, they will look at turtles, depending on size. hopefully they may be able to tell you what's wrong and how to care properly for it to get back to full health.

 

[Nomadu571]

Diagram of what your setup
Should be;

A. Fresh Air Screen Cover
B. Dome light and black or red reptile bulb
C. Fluorescent Strip Light with UV Bulb, on a Timer
D. Thermometers for both air and water temperatures, and Hygrometer
E. Real or Artificial Plants
F. Filter(s) (Internal or Canister, the larger the better!)
G. Under Tank Heater (UTH) or Submersible Heater
H. Basking/Land areas, such as a Turtle Ramp or Dock, rocks or Driftwood
I. Reptoguard

(from doctorfostersmith.com)

 

[Nomadu571]

Also sorry another thing is with soft shells you shouldn't use a brush not even a soft one to clean their shells as they are very sensitive and can get infected pretty easily. A table spoon of aquarium salt would be all you need to help them fight infection and diseases. Not table, marine or rock salt however.

Heres a first aid link;
http://home.earthlink.net/~rednine/firsaid.htm
And another link for recognising emergencies that require immediate veterinary care;
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Emergency.htm
And a link where you can find some procedures that may help right now;
http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/topic/12917-sick-turtle-summary/

 

[Jess1ca]

Hi there... How is your turtle doing?

 

[brendamhg]

Hi there... How is your turtle doing?

Hi!!! Thanks for asking... She's still hanging in there, but she hasn't eaten in a while... I was told to give her meat because they love it but she didn't respond to it either ... Im going to take her to an exotic pet vet i found to see if he can do something

 

[Nomadu571]

Hi!!! Thanks for asking... She's still hanging in there, but she hasn't eaten in a while... I was told to give her meat because they love it but she didn't respond to it either ... Im going to take her to an exotic pet vet i found to see if he can do something

Hope they can help you and she survives. Good luck, and best wishes to your soft shell.

 

[Coursair]

hi...I am really really extremely sad because all of my turtles but one suddenly died...they were soft shell turtles and i got them like a month ago...i think it is too late to save the last one because she looks pretty sick but i want to know if someone can tell my why they died because i feel so guilty because i feel like i killed them :'(... they were babies, like 5 cm diameter, they were in a 40 L tank, it was full of water and i put two islands on the surface so they could rest, it has sand on the bottom because they like to bury themselves and a filter... at the beginning they were fine, all energetic and eating...suddenly out of nowhere one of them died, and i was really sad but i thought maybe she was already sick or she didnt make it because she was the smallest one. (realy tiny). then another one died and i got really worried and i removed some artificial plants i had put because i thought maybe they were infected or something...i put salt, an anti-chlorine and another thing i bought that supposedly is for turtle aquariums, to kill bacteria...after a while all of them appeared to have hair, like cotton...i read it was fungus and i should treat it giving them more dry land and i bought medicine and put drops on them and suddenly they stopped eating and then they died only one is left, but she seems to be very sick..she doesn't have hairs anymore but she stays all the time on the island when they were used to swimming and burying themselves. can someone tell me why they died? what did i miss ?

Some basic info :
http://www.chelonia.org/articles/softshellcare.htm

You put 6 baby turtles in a 10.6g tank. The tank must have become an Ammonia acid bath.

Also hatchling Turtles require shallow water. So the can rest on the bottom and reach the surface easily.

They need UV light. Meat based diet. Etc...

I'm sorry for the poor babies. Thank You for getting the survivor to the vet. Please continue learning about your Turtle so it's life can be what it should.

 

[perentie]

YOu cannot keep turtles wothout proper hezting and lighting, especially uv's. Any large dips in temperaturue on cool days or at night will stop them processiNg the food in their stomaches and make them a target for any infection. I totally agrre with the fact that you must do regular water changes and your tank is much too small for that many turtles. Also. turtles must be able to dry out completely on aregular basis and therefore must have a dry basking area preferably under the heating lamp and uv's. Do Not brush their shells. I'd suggest starting with one turtle kept with the proper heating equipment and thermometer and uv's and vary the diet staying away from over fatty foods like mealworms and bad quality dried foods. Good luck. If your last turtle is still alive put her in a heated tank and only try feeding it after a day or so. If it is unresponsive try live food.

 

[Butterflychild]

I've heard that uvb rays won't go thru windows

No UVB rays cant go through glass(plexi or normal).

 

[Butterflychild]

glass

I've heard that uvb rays won't go thru windows

No UVB rays cant go through glass (Plexi or normal glass). Sorry i didnt post this Question just the answer lol.