The red-eared Slider with a foreign body

MY RED-EARED SLIDER STOPPED WALKING ONE DAY

Turtles and tortoises are the most popular reptiles kept as pets in Singapore. They are symbols of longevity and hard work and are easier to keep in small apartments and houses. They are kept in tanks and don't smell bad or make a lot of noises unlike dogs. Mum permitted me to keep one pet. No dogs or cats as our apartment was very small.

I chose a turtle, bought from a store in the wet market of Ang Mo Kio Avenue Four in Singapore. I was 8 years old and this turtle was a 20-cent coin in size. No medical problems for the past 7 years.

Easy to maintain and a good friend to "talk to" whenever I needed somebody to talk to about my busy school life and friends.

The red-eared Slider (turtle) is popular as pets in Singapore

The red-eared Slider (turtle) is popular as pets in Singapore

One day, my red-eared slider was not walking normally one day. He tilted his body towards the left. He lifted his right leg and could not walk straight. He toppled. Then he stopped walking for the whole day.

I cancelled my appointments.   My best friend needed a veterinarian.   The whole family went to the veterinary surgery. At the surgery, he could walk and sniffed the stainless steel examination table.

"This is a common situation for many pet owners at the veterinary surgery, " the veterinarian said. "The pets look normal when they should be sick!"

So, what was the problem for this turtle? The veterinarian lifted him up. Checked him from eye to toe. Shell to tail.

Just below and in front of its right armpit, embedded under the skin was a 4 mm-long wooden splinter. "This is a 'foreign body', the vet said. He took a pair of scissors. Shelled out the splinter embedded under the thick green-striped skin. I felt dizzy when I saw a bit of blood oozing from the wound. My brother supported me.

Suddenly the Red-eared Slider wanted only to sprint away from the animal doctor.  To the most tranquil and scenic Singapore's Pierce Reservoir?

No, he would be safer and well cared for at home. My mother would check him out every day and he always made a welcoming noise whenever I came home.

BE KIND TO PETS.
The picture says "I want to swim in the Pierce Reservoir" sends a message to new pet owners to be responsible for their pets. It is not meant to encourage turtle swimming in reservoirs. His owners would never allow it to swim in any reservoir as it would swim far away and be lost. He was very well cared for and never needed veterinary attention for the past 7 years. Till it had a foreign body.

DON'T abandon the Red-eared Sliders in reservoirs and ponds in the Botanic Gardens, Mount Faber ponds and parks. When you have a pet, BE KIND. Take care of it for as long as it lives.

MORE INFO ABOUT THE RED-EARED SLIDER

The top of the shell (carapace) is smooth and gently curved and is olive to black with yellow stripes and bars. It is a medium -sized turtle that is best identified by a red or sometimes yellow patch that is found just behind its eye.

The Red-eared Slider is almost exclusively aquatic. It rarely ventures out of the water except to lay its eggs or to migrate to a new water body, should the need arise. As a water dweller, the adult turtle feeds primarily on aquatic plants. Young turtles are mostly carnivorous, gradually switching to vegetation as they age.

This Slider is commonly seen basking in the sun, on logs or masses of vegetation. When basking sites are in short supply, they may even pile on top of each other, up to three turtles deep. The Red-eared Slider very easily is spooked and will slide directly into the water from its sunning spot at the least provocation.

During the breeding season between March and July, the female may find herself swept away by a persistent suitor. The male Red-eared Sliders attempt to win over a female by engaging in courtship activities include swimming backwards in front of the female with their forelegs stretched out, palm side up.

Red-eared Sliders may produce up to three clutches of four to 23 eggs in a single year. With each nest, the female will go on shore and dig a shallow hole that is three to 10 inches wide. She deposits her eggs in these excavations and subsequently covers them up with soil and materials to seal in the eggs for protection from predators and the elements. The young turtles hatch 60 to 75 days later, although they may spend the winter in the nest.

Source: Texas Park and Wildlife - www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wild/reptiles/slider.htm

Entry Form:
Competition Theme: Be Kind To Pets
Name: Judy Quek
Address: Blk 1002, Toa Payoh Lor 8, 01-1477
Age: 15
Mobile phone: +65 9668-6468
Fax: +65 6256-0501
E-mail: judy@asiahomes.com
Image Title: I want to swim in the Pierce Reservoir
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 5000
Film: Digital