Is my turtle sick??

[Joanne4]

Is my eastern long neck turtle sick? At the start of October I was given a turtle and a couple of days ago I noticed that there seems to be swelling around the tops of her legs, its like shes got fat and its hanging out if you know what I mean. I was told before I got her she was a breeding turtle and lived outside and I have been keeping her inside in a tank with heated water. She doesn’t seem sick and is still very active and eating well, is there something wrong with her I am really worried

[MrBredli]

What are you feeding her? What temp is the water?

[Joanne4]

She has been eating guppies and worms from the garden. The people that had her before said they only ever fed her worms. The water temp is about 22 degrees

[Ristof]

How much are you feeding her and how many times a week

[Joanne4]

About 5 worms twice a week

[Ristof]

What size worms are we talking, the ones in my garden would eat our turtles.
Also what size is your turtle

I have been told that they only need to eat as much food as there head size if that make sence

[Joanne4]

Her shell is about 18 cm long, the worms arent that big. If your meant to feed them about as much as her head size then I would say I am under feeding her, could this be whats wrong? Should I be feeding her more?

[Kirby]

feed her a more varied diet, fresh water prawns, small yabbies, turtle dinners, some water plants.

earthworms carry parasites, and are often not at all a 'good feeder' they have little nutrition and are mostly water, they will eat and carry the pesticides, and 'bad' things from your garden to your turtle. a 'safer' option is to buy them from a 'feeder' place rather than from the 'wild'

do a google search for a care sheet, it should give you some ideas for good foods. as for the lumps or 'fat' around her legs. it could be an irritation to an infection, to some sort of internal problem .. a vet would help..

[warren63]

Maybe a pic would help some one with a diagnosis

[Eastern Snake Neck]

Hi Joanne4,

If the turtle is actually a female and if she has been kept outdoors and if she has actually bred in the past, then from your description, it sounds like she is gravid.

There are a few things you can do to find out if this is the case:
1. Take her to an experienced turtle keeper and ask them to palpate her for eggs;
2. Palpate her yourself, but this can be very difficult if your are inexperienced;
3. Get her x-rayed to confirm if she is gravid.

If she is gravid, she will need nesting sites. The best way to do this is to put her in a large outdoor pond with suitable nesting sites within the enclosure. Of course, even if she is not gravid, she will be better off living in a large outdoor pond, as opposed to being kept in an aquarium.

My advice would be to not feed her earthworms. Australian Freshwater Turtles eat underwater. Anything that lives in freshwater is potentially part of a turtle's diet. Earthworms live underground, therefore they are not part of a normal, healthy turtle diet.

Regards,
Michael.

[Joanne4]

Yes she was a breeding turtle and has been keeped with her partner up until about 6 weeks ago, so I was thinking that maybe shes about 2 lay eggs. Could some one people give me a link or some advice on how to set up an outdoor inclosure for her as I have been thinkin that she would be better off outside. Also next door has like 10 cats so what can I do to protect her from them when I put her outside. Thanks everyone for your help, I will post some pics of her tomorrow

[Kirby]

build a wall, 2ft high, and 2ft below the ground. as big as you want. use a plastic pond liner (very thick) as they will scratch through. Or use concrete. make is at least 1 meter deep as one point, so they can breed properly. a sloped side so she can get out. and suitable sand a soil, and plants for shade. the depth will also keep a part of the water cool under extreme heat.

to protect from cats, just cover to top with wire mesh, you may want to shade a part of the enclosure, and mayby over half the water..

[mrdestiny]

Joanne
An outdoor pond is going to involve some time, money and effort but will be well worthwhile for the turtle. My website at http://turtletownsydney.tripod.com/index.htm may help, also you'll find plenty of info in the archives here.
Allan