Turtle care

ceewash

Can anyone help? My son lives in China (in lockdown atm) and his turtle is starting to sway from side to side . Has anyone any ideas what is wrong or what he can do that doesn't involve leaving his flat.

sheramber

Do an online search for caring for a turtle.

Is he doing all that they say?

could be a vitamin deficiency if he is not feeding it correctly

ceewash

yes he's done that. Just guessing at what it is. He's moved it nearer the window for extra light and waarmth.

Ms_Dee

I've only just seen this.

I hope the little one is okay now!

Please do not use gravel or stones with turtles, fine sand or a bare tank base it much better for them. 
I don't think gravel is good for any tank animal actually, so I don't know why they sell it!
Turtles under 2 years will need heated water around 26c
Water should be around 2x the depth of them.
A hiding area, this can be plants.
A basking area outside of the water that has UVB of 5% (which should be on between 8-12 hours a day) and is heated (although musks spend most of their time in the water)
You need a good diet, preferably of turtle pellets like Tetra Reptomin turtle food, which is highly recommended.
Best to avoid things like blood worms as they can favour them over their actual food.
Our 10 year old+ girl is a fully grown common musk turtle, so one of the smallest species and has access to a 240litre tank (I think it is) so please make sure they have enough space.
You need to make sure you have a powerful enough filter to help with turtle waste, as they can get sick if they breathe too much of it in and you'll need good ventilation, so if they are in a tank, don't close the lid or even put it on, if they can't climb out.

Some people believe that some reptiles do not need UVB which is highly essential to most, so please always provide it, unless they are outside with access to the natural sun (UVB doesn't go through windows)

ceewash

I'm afraid Circle the turtle died. 
Thank you for your advice. They have other turtles at the school he works in so he will be able to care for them better.