my red eared slider (SLICK) bites and noise making

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i got a red eared slider and it making this weird noise and like to bite, i see white stuff around his mouth and when he bite my box turtle one time she became sick but she got well thank GOD, i dont know what his problem is he fine, very active look healthy, I got my turtle from HARVEY D GRACE and they gave away free red eared sliders, i ask what it eats, and left, i wonder do it got rabies or something please help?
 

Floof

Juvie Member
First and foremost, check to make sure your care is up to par. Red ear sliders can be quite a bit more difficult to care for than, say, beardies and box turtles, and very different. Just going by what the vendor told you will set you up for disaster, if they were wrong (and something tells me they were--it seems as though most people selling baby RES, and certainly any giving them away free without thoroughly explaining the commitment, are pretty shady...). Here are a couple care sheets: http://redearslider.com/ and http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm. Just like with beardies and boxies, most health problems can be traced back to a problem in their husbandry, and likewise fixed just by fixing that problem, so this is most definitely the place to start.

Now, my second concern... Do you have him housed with your box turtle? I imagine that's how he was able to bite the other turtle. If so, separate them... Obviously, one has an illness, so they shouldn't be together to begin with so they don't make each other sick. Second, unless it's an aquatic Asian box turtle, i.e. the Malaysian boxes, they have incredibly different care. RES are aquatic, only really coming out of the water to bask and lay eggs. The majority of box turtles live on land, and in forest habitats--humid, and relatively low light. The proper habitat for one will kill the other. A couple box turtle care sheets for you: http://boxturtlesite.info/, http://aboxturtle.com/, and http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-easternboxie.htm. In case it's a Malaysian box turtle: http://www.chelonia.org/articles/Camboinensiscare.htm

With all that out of the way... I'm pretty sure reptiles can't get rabies. The behavior may or may not be a sign of illness--some sliders are just like that. But, the noise and the white stuff around the mouth lead me to believe he is definitely ill. Mouth rot is a possibility, as is respiratory infection. Pictures of the turtle and its mouth would help to determine what's going on, as well as better descriptions: i.e. what kind of "stuff" is around his mouth? What's the consistency of it, is it dry or wet, does it look like it's the scales themselves that have the problem, or is it just sitting on top... And his care. Temperatures, land or water, what you're feeding him, etc. Pictures of the set up will help a lot, too.

Another thing I would recommend is to post your questions (and pictures, if you can get them) on a good turtle forum. There aren't too many people on this beardie forum that will be able to give you honest, thorough, and genuinely helpful answers. I know I can't, when it comes to the question of illness. A couple turtle forums: http://www.turtletimes.com/ and http://www.turtleforum.com/.

I hope all of this information is helpful to you, and that you're able to figure out what's going on with your RES before it's too late.
 

Wishbone1234

Member
Original Poster
i thank u so much for ur post and my pics will go up soon so people can help me more. thank again for links
 
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