How Half My Turtles REALLY Died 

Seeing how hurt you were when you lost your babies made me a subscriber. You don't use your pets for content, you love them and care for them and I really believe your here for the right reasons ❤

I'm so sorry man...As for what to do with Yoda, it's sad to think of quarantining her and her having to suddenly just be alone all the time. But obviously you can't risk the other's lives, and can't set her free in the wild because it would risk the wildlife.... again man, im sorry you're having to go through this ordeal

So sorry, Dan. I hope you can come up with a plan for poor Yoda that is kind and fair to all concerned. And I'm glad the rest of your turtles are ok. When you feel sad, think of Pipsqueak, and how gloomy the outlook was for her, but she turned the corner and began to thrive. Please cheer yourself up as best you can. Hugs.

Caring for animals is a recipe for heartbreak. I'm sorry for your lost babies, and for Miss Yoda who will have a hard life from now on.

Dan, i have been following you since you were the guppyman and you built the $2,000 pond. I have 34 turtles of various species from maps to snappers. I want to say I am so very sorry this happened to you and your shell babies, life sucks sometimes. Do what is right for you and your pets and we will be here when you figure out everything. Love your channel brother.

It’s tough when a pathogen enters a large chelonian collection. There are many people that have experienced this- but few that have shared their experiences. Thanks for being transparent, it will help us all be better herpetoculturists!

There are viruses like that which affect cats and exactly what we do is find them “only cat” homes, where they can live pretty normal lives without infection risk. Hopefully you can find something like that for Yoda, if she’s otherwise okay. So sorry that happened to you, losing your turtle friends, that’s hell to go through! My common snapper sends his condolences in between giving me death ray “more food now” looks

i am so so so so sorry for your loss. i followed you because i recently became a turtle mom, and i love her to death. i will pray for yoda's recovery. please be safe, your turtle friends love you, and youre a great turtle dad.

I'm so sorry for your lost man😢❤. That's one of the problems when you are raising animals you love, currently right now in Florida we are dealing with a virus known as the Frazier virus that is affecting most freshwater species of turtles and it's very bad down here. Here's some information about it " The turtle bunyavirus, or TBV, has no known cure and is causing cooters, softshell turtles, yellow-bellied sliders and red-eared sliders to suffer lethargy, swim lopsided or in circles, and have trouble breathing. "

I know how devastated you were when you lost your turtles. At least you now know what caused their heartbreaking ending. As far as Yoda, you'll figure it out. We all know how much you ❤ all your turtles. They"re lucky to have you.

You have taught me so much. I am a lifelong animal lover but had not cared for a turtle since the 70’s when I was real young and we all went thru the “red slider” pet phase, so sad thinking back and no wonder my little ones never lived as the pet store sent us home with that dreaded plastic dish with the plastic palm tree and island with 1” deep moat. Fast forward about 50 yrs and following a mild hurricane last year a tiny hatchling showed up on the literal concrete doorstep and there are no ponds around. Because they are technically invasive in FL I knew I needed to keep the little baby. Your channel relieved a lot of the guilt I had about going to such extremes s which I did not expect in order to care for a turtle properly. Thanks again. Now Santana lives a decent life, is growing fast and is a pain in the butt BUT… so fascinating I have learned them to be. Amazing creatures. Amazing evolutionary miracle.

Thanks so much for sharing this information it's very important to get it out there. I have never heard of this virus before so it genuinely helps to know. I'm so sorry you had to go through this, I hope it never happens again

I'm so sorry that you lost some of your pets. Losing a pet is so rough. I can't imagine how heartbreaking this must have been.

Who the hell would say you deserve this? What an a$$hat. I’m so sorry for you, your friend who was fostering and for your lost Shell babies. I’m a newer viewer, but I have loved your channel. You’re doing wonderful work. 🥰

Dan, I'm so sorry for you and your turtle friends. Thank you for putting your feelings aside to provide this update - which was clearly difficult for you to give - to the community. Your love, attention and concern for your turtles is unquestionable. You remain a great Turtle Daddy, and Ollie Burger and I will fight anyone who says otherwise!!

So sorry about your turtles Dan! This makes me even more paranoid about letting mine outside even though I know they’d benefit from a summer home pond. I hope this is the last you and your friends see of this virus! You’ve lost so much already but I hope you find happy new beginnings!!! You deserve them!

This is common in tortoises as well. The way this is managed is to keep herpes-positive animals (carriers) together, rather than euthanizing these animals, which can still lead long and happy lives. Newcomers to "normal" colonies are tested for herpes, to make sure they are clean. Yeah, it sucks... but scrupulous testing is the only way to stay on the safe side. I love your turtles and your videos, and I feel for you (and your friend) having had to cope with this horrible tragedy. It could have happened to anyone.

I’m sorry for your lost man you didn’t deserve that to happen to you and also I know it sucks losing your turtles especially if had them for a while and got really attached to them I know that feeling because one of my turtles died and also hope for the better for you in the future❤❤🙏🏼🙏🏼

I am so sorry that this happened to you and to your turtles. I can't believe that anyone would be cruel enough to be mean over this tragic situation.

You absolutely 💯 did NOT deserve this. We love you, and we all learn so much from you. Thank you for updating us.

Sorry to hear the update Dan. Glad you know what it was though now, got my first 3 hatchings last week after watching your videos for months, protect the babies you have now brother.

I had a cat with feline herpes, which causes upper respiratory issues in cats as well- animal herpes viruses seem to be a respiratory issue, which is what makes it so contagious. In cats, your sick cat just has to sneeze on a healthy cat to pass it along. It's probably similar with turtles. I couldn't have another cat during Chihiro's lifespan, which was fine because she hated everyone and everything, but preventative meds helped her stay healthy and she lived 16 years. Miss Yoda would likely do well with someone who is committed to only one turtle for her lifespan, who knows what symptoms to look for to keep her healthy, and is willing to commit to that. It sounds like it's either way more lethal or harder to spot when there's a flare-up- it's a lot easier to tell when a cat is sneezing or has a runny nose than a turtle, I'm sure- so it is definitely a risk to keep her at all when you have other turts.

Hey I’m so sorry that this has happened to such a nice and positive person you always make my day when I watch your videos I’m so sorry for all your losses and good luck In the future I hop you feel better.

I'm so very sorry for your lost and thank you for sharing this with us all 🙏🙏❤❤

Thanks for sharing your story and the info.

Im just seeing this. I'm so very sorry this happened. Its devastating when you lose a pet. I can't imagine several at once 😢

the whole "you deserve this" crap is just dumb. i dont see any logical reason why anyone would say that so that tells me that theyre idiot trolls with 9 email addys and dont pay rent because they live with momma. Anyway, thank you for the work you do to help animals! keep it up! Like you said we hear of this hitting wild populations sometimes and it just so happen to hit yours who lived in a very wild setting. dont let it stop you. now is the time for brainstorming and figuring out the next step and i doubt very seriously after cleaning your enclosures that this would ever happen again. (I'm just a guy on the internet) but I appreciate you and the work you do!

im so sorry this happened Dan, but glad you got a definitive answer! Im glad to see all the other lil guys look like theyre doing so well! 🥰

Deeply mortified this happened to you and your turtles. Thank you for the information. Who would have thought that could happen. I'm very sorry for your loss.

Now I’m terrified to get new critters. I was thinking of getting a second turt, but now that this may potentially be spreading around I’m not too sure about it. Maybe we should all wait for time being and see, just to make sure. Love everything you do and a fellow creature lover. Hope you the best. As for yoda....i would be torn, you just gotta look at the pros and cons not just for the one turt, but for the rest of the bunch. And of course yourself. Best wishes.

Hola! I'm from Cuba. I'm your follower from this Caribbean country. It hurts to listen to your voice tying not to cry while speaking to the camera. I know what it feels like. I love animals too. From this side of the planet...I wish you to get better. You gave them the best time of their life with all the love you use to feed them.

Thanks for sharing Dan, sux you have to make this decision my friend. All the best 🍺

I'm so sorry, again, about your turtles. Glad you found some answers. Wishing you some clarity for your choices ahead. This could happen to anyone.

I’m so sorry for your loss 💛

I love turtles and this broke my heart I am sorry for your losses

Why would anyone say that someone deserves for their pets to die, that’s disgusting. Sending positivity and support to you and the turts ❤❤

Thank you for the update. So sad. You should keep Yoda & let her live out her life in a separate far away place in the yard or garage. Don’t quit!

I know how you feel mate. I lost 5 turtles overnight a few weeks ago. They didn’t drown, weren’t sick(other turtles are fine, same species, same pond, same food…) and everything has been the same for weeks. We did have a thunderstorm that night so my assumption is there was some type of power surge and these turtles were the closest to the pump at the moment. Everything has been fine since then. I was devastated for days, but when others were just fine I figured it wasn’t something I did. Still sad but it’s easier to deal with it this way. Btw, herpes isn’t curable even in humans. Aciclovir is great for keeping symptoms in check, but it’s not a cure

This broke my heart, I’m so sorry Dan stay strong ♥️

I don't need to say keep your head up dan ciz ur holding it high already after whats happened your strong thanks for the continued educational videos bti help us all with ohr oen life critters they have been a life saver to not me but my critters thanks bro much love

Such a heartbreaking update. I hope that you are holding up well.

Are you able to maintain her quality of life in isolation? I had an Old English Sheep dog that caught a very infectious disease but could live her life actively and "happy" as l;ong as I kept her apart from the rest of her clan. We paid close attention to her attitude and temperament. She did not show any signs of depression and lived a long and happy life. I do not know that much about turkles (what I called them as a baby) but if anyone can read their EMMOTIONAL health, it is you. I am rambling and hope this helps.

Wow thats crazy! Im glad you finally figured out what it was, and now cam take the next steps. I started following you after your first video about this, so I don't knowuch about turtle's, but are they social creatures? Or would she be ok by herself?

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your turtles

My heart and love to you.

Sorry for youre losses it is always hard to lose youre baby’s❤️

Rest in piece turtle :(

So sad, my condolences.

Hii Dan y love you’re vids y have learned so much from you y have 2 turtles my self a cumber land slider and a red eard slider they are babies but y have been wanting a baby dimond back terrapin for the longest time now but y have truble finding a trusted breader are you going to like sell baby turtles any more. Ty ❤

this is awful, so sorry you're going through this.

I'm so sorry this happened. I'm glad you still have some of your babies. I hope you're able to narrow down where the virus came from. There are so many different herpes viruses that infect almost every species.

I’m so sorry! I’m a new filler but this breaks my heart! May they try in peace and I hope you get more answers.

Aww I’m so sorry 😢❤

Sorry to hear about your loss. Do we have update on Yoda?🙏

This is a terrible thing to happen. We all learn from each other. Keep the positive attitude.

Hi dan, My tank has brown algae all over some of the algae is black and there is some green algae i have big algae problems and my diamont back terrapin has a greenish blue shell it has algae on the shell and some of the shell is white what do i do?

Thank you Dan you helped me I watched a vid about turtles by you and you helped me get ready I now have a baby Eastern painted turtle

Sorry for your lost

Hey Dan need your urgent help my Hamilton turtle has a white film on 1 eye , but she’s active and enjoying food should I be worried

I am pretty sure that first medication you were trying to pronounce is Acyclovir (pronounced a-cyclo-veer). It is an antiviral medication.

So sad...

Great vide

Ayeee wish you the best with situation definitely not easy to deal with

Man, this whole situation is such a WTF level of situation and such horridly bad luck it's almost unbelievable to the point one would think it was a storyline of some fantasy TV show or something. It's no surprise the how to prevent it question is such an unanswered thing. It's like, okay now does this mean EVERY SINGLE TURTLE needs to be like full blood tested for of all things a "turtle herpes virus" regularly as well as every time you get one from a breeder, or house or loan one out or give/sell one to someone? That'd be extremely expensive of course. Also yeah where does this kind of virus start from? Something they eat? Like you said some random bird droppings that just happen to hit their pond? From food you get for them? From the ground itself just leeching into their pond? Just so many different possibilities trying to track it down would need a damn team of scientists to try to track this thing down. Still though, quite something you're still willing to keep on doing what you do. Many people after a tragedy like this would just give it up because they would always think they have such cursed luck they don't want to put any other animal at risk ever again and just stop, you though are trying to move on from this and still keep trying to give all your animals the best life they can live for all the ones you have left and still keep. Keep that chin up man as you try to get past such a terrible thing to happen like that kind of loss.

my condolences. poor turtle kiddos

Sorry for your losses

Any questions about the type of food you were feeding? (Just curious)

So so sorry, that stinks.😢we are always learning, unfortunately the hard knocks seem to be sucker punch’s. But now you know what the symptoms are and what your looking for, I pray the rest don’t have this, and from what your saying the last one would be better off being put down, over having it suffer any more. So so sad. We love our baby’s no matter what they are and it’s the worst decision we have to make sometimes. Me I look at the over all health and what the symptoms are doing, do we love them yes, but we never want them to suffer anymore sometimes of love can cause us to become selfish. I’m sure I’m going to hear a crap load of ppl saying how cruel it is to just put them down they have more life to live, ya cover the symptoms for what a month maybe 2 then back to a animal suffering again. To me that is the cruelty. Sad to say it but y’all know what I’m talking about. 😢😢😢😢😢😢 the hardest decision to ever make for a pet. Tfs bugs hugs for what ever you do.

Holy shit man I just found your channel wtf is happening. Best of luck on what to do with yoda. I sure as hell couldn’t make that decision. You’ll make the right choice for sure tho

Really sorry man crazy stuff just happens sometimes

That's horrible, bro. Sorry you and turtles buddies went through that. If the alien invaders are an extraterrestrial turtle species, it may be in your benefit to have turtles, to show them that you're a turtle ally. This whole epidemic sounds like a fluke, no pun intended.

With your turtle Miss Yoda..Where is she now? Obviously she can’t be in contact with the others but at least turtles aren’t social animals and rely on others..I have a few ideas of what you could do with her I hope they help. You could make a separate tank for her and she can go on lol you could give her away to someone else (Of course with telling them she’s a carrier) as for the upsetting option on putting her down that could be a option but only if her quality of life is severely affected and miserable.. I’m very sorry for your loss and situation I hope things can heal..😔💕

is there testing available?

If she is ok even with the virus I would keep her separate and enjoy her. As long as you wash your hands. See if later on there is a cure. Don't give up on her yet.

Dan maybe you could place the sick pet turtle I believe it is Yoda with a pet family where she wouldn't be around any other turtles or they wouldn't have any other reptiles to thought and would save her life

I face a similar conundrum with my bearded dragon. After I took her home, she lost half her weight. Injections and supplementing 3x a day pulled her through ADV but her enclosure mate died in five days😢. Now she's doing fairly well, but I can't get the uromastyx (another agamid lizard) I want because she's a carrier--forever. I hear you. It's a tough situation with no easy answer. Maybe you can find someone with no other turtles who would adopt her? I would--but I have a stinkpot. Best wishes. Ignore the idiots who say cruel things. It could happen to anyone. Added note: Watch all enclosures, clothing, tongs, decor, and substrate for cross-contamination

Wild idea; what if you find someone else who has a carrier? If they have the same strand they could do habitat and yoda won’t be alone. I have no idea how you’d find one tho 😅

Still a big bruh moment

This is so sad. I'm so sorry for the loss of your turtles, Hopefully no more herpes for them

maybe she can be sent to a "only turtle" home! anne in the comments suggested it and i think it's a great idea. i've seen foster cats have viruses and they're still adopted out- they just have to be the only cat in the home. Yoda could be someones only turtle!

What is the strain name of this turtles

Hey dan sorry to hear that, this is a common thing that happens to a lot with ppl who get russian tortoises. If you can maybe do a video on quarantining new turtles just to show ppl how to

💜💜💜

Condolences :/ Agree with others saying rehoming her to a one pet household sounds like good option. Can it transfer to eggs? That she survived and this is going around, passing her genes down may be good for her species, but maybe also not, unno.

That is a terrible thing to happen 😢

I am so so sorry for your loss.😢 also it may not be the right time to ask, but do you know what species your turtles are? sorry, turtles are my favorite animals.

That drug is one that is common in pharmacies

i saw this and said to myself fipper better be alive thankfully she is

Unfortunately there are so many strands of herpes that they will probably never be eradicated. Such a sad loss when your babies pass. So sorry for your loss.

😢😢

Give her to someone

I am so sorry that happened to your turtles 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

🐢🐢🐢❤️FOREVER❤️🐢🐢🐢

Sadly Herpes isn’t curable in humans let alone in turtles. The best advice I can give that you didn’t already mention is that herpes transmission is through sharing fluids so if god forbid something like this happens to you change out your water, wash any healthy animals, and clean your container if possible. All that being said Herpes viruses are extremely contagious and I’m very sorry that you lost so many sweet babies in such a one in a million way. Glad to know the ones you have at your home are doing well especially industrious Miss Bean and tenacious little Pipsqueak (they’re two of my favorites to watch videos of).

I'm so sorry for your loss. I have a red slider that I no longer can take care of. No one will take her. You know why this is. Do u have any suggestions? She's 5-7 yrs old, 9 inches long. Her name is "Tilly" I hope u can help me.

Watching this, my heart hurt for you.

Hey this may be a far fetched idea but what if you try and put your girl who's a carrier in salt or brackish water. It seems from the species you listed that they only affect freshwater species so maybe it can't handle salinity? I know that diamondback terrapins can handle large amounts of salinity with them inhabiting mainly brackish ecosystems

💔💔💔

How sad

❤❤❤