I have had my guy bud since june. He is an eastern painted. From the begining there have been probs with him eating. Well, at first he was eating alot then just stopped. Im not sure if he really is still eating but he must be cause he still alive. Recently he got sick as i was told to expect with a baby turtle. His front legs and eyes were covered with what i have come to know as fungus. I have been placing him in a sulfa solution for the past week. After about two his fungus was gone from his legs. But his eyes are now closed and he is not eating at all. Probably cause he cant see. Also, he was heard making a noise. It can best be described as similar to a baby bird. Im scared hes not doing well. What can i do to get him to eat? I belive i need these antibiotic drops by foster smith that seems to be constantly out of stock. Any help would be very appreciated by bud.

It sounds like he has conjunctivitis associated with an upper respiratory infection. He needs injections of antibiotic (Baytril/encofloxacin) and some eye antibiotic. You can only get those two things from a vet that sees turtles. The eye drops that are referenced on my page are not antibiotics but just Vitamin A which helps with swollen eyes if caused by a Vitamin A deficiency. While your baby may also have that, the fact that he's wheezing surely indicates the upper respiratory infection which, without antibiotic injections, is almost always fatal. With the shots, he has a good chance. You need to find a vet who will see him or find a turtle expert or rehabilitator to take him. He cannot eat while his eyes are swollen. The good news as far as eating goes is that he can go for many weeks without eating before dying of starvation. If you cannot get him to a vet, then all I can suggest is to keep the water very clean, add aquarium salt (a tablespoon per 5 gallons), and continue with whatever medications you can get your hands on. I hope Bud recovers.

My turtle Bud is both doing much better and much worse. I used the eye drops and his eyes not only cleared up and reduced in swelling but also opened. I can now say that he definitely has vision because he has several times reacted to my movements. The problem now is that he will just not eat. Before all these problems, when he was not hungry and there was food he would poke at it a little and then eventually leave it alone. Now he doesn't even look at it. He has also become very lathargic. Sometimes he will move around and find a good place to bask under his light. Other times he will just sit with his head out, kinda just lying it on the ground almost looking dead. Im not so sure if he has an upper respiratory infection because he hasnt been blowing out any bubbles from his nose or mouth. Im going to try to feed him some ground beef in hope to get him to eat anything. Also, how should carrots be given? I know that small pieces are needed, but should it be cooked and how?

I'm glad his eyes are better but it sounds like he's still sick. Keep his water temperature at 80 degrees F. Try to find live blackworms to feed. They are the best at getting baby turtles to eat. I hope you can still look around for a vet to see him. To feed carrots to turtles, grate raw carrot (so it looks like small orange worms; maybe the turtle will think it's animal and not plant matter.). It will make a mess in the water so it's best to feed it the day before you do a water change. My year old redbellied turtle loves carrot but a baby painted is mostly going to want live small animals to eat like the blackworms, mealworms, etc. If the turtle is warm, he should be active. He is how old, 6 or 7 months? By now, he should be eating well. I hope he eats!