Vjarn Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 hi, im not sure if this is the right place to put it but im at my inlaws and last night i heard the dog barking loudly, neighbours dog that is and this morning my little bro in law found a turtle, cool aye, anyway it looks like the dog was trying to get at it, it has a torn hole on the left bottom shell and you can see a bit of red flesh and it has a red mark on the left front foot, not sure if its natural colour but looks like it has been braised or sumthin, just like to know how to treat the wounds, i put it in a container with luke warm water and a rock to swim out of the water but would like to know what to feed it. i tried to feed it bananas but wont eat it, if no-one wants it then i'll look after it, it seems that people are just throwing them away, well if anyone doesnt want them then i'll have them, can anyone help me with any info on feeds and medication for the wounds? it was found early this morning on the wet grass and looks like the shell has been really dried up, i'll try to get some pics up. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklee88 Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 hey I would seriously take the turtle to a vet to get that wound checked, because wounds can lead to infection. And we dont want that. Is the turtle moving around alot, or just sitting there! I currently feed my turtle some turtle pellets which can be bought at your LFS, but because its a wild, it probably A wont eat it Or B will take a while to start to get used to humans, and feel safe to eat, Mine took over 3 weeks to start eating when i was in the room, Also i have noticed that some guppies start to disappear, lol Anyway Cheers Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Yep get it to the vet, or use some iodine on the wound, dog bites are bad for infection. Holes in the shells can be patched up using bondy or fibreglass. Hopefully some of our turtle experts will come onto this post. Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillz Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Try here if you need any more help http://groups.msn.com/TotallyTurtles/welcome.msnw there some very helpfull turtle lovers there. hope it is ok to post the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 I used to have one, they eat just about any sort of meat, just leave it in the tank with it, just make sure you remove any uneaten food before it rots and fouls the water. I found it takes a while for them to take to dried food. If it has been in the wild for a while you could try an earth worm or two, it might be used to moving food. MIne was never injured so sorry can't help there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 when a turtle gets a hole in its shel it is almost immpossable to keep it alive, i hate to say it but euthinasia is the most humane option (although i dont think i could do that myself. make sure the water quality is perfect turtles secreet 4 times as much urine as they do fecees this mesnt although the water looks clear it is full of bugs. if all he is doing is sitting on his basking rock i would say it is almost certinatly too late, if not there is still hope. to care for him he will need 1hr of uv light a day while he is sick (although if it is cold outside it would be better for him to go without light for that day) make sure the container he is in has a lid on it a turtle is a reptile and like all reptiles their living area needs to be a terrium this mean it has to have much warmer humid air than any unlided housing can offer. to check its general health pick him up (hold him like a hamburger) if he tries to get free he is doing ok, if you look in just behind his front feet to his tourso i guess you should be able to see a sort of puffing out as he breaths if you can he is healthy. also make sure you keep him warm turtles lungs are 40% of their whole body this means they are very suceptable to namonia for food feed him 2 to 3 times a day preferably in a seperate container so that you dont fowel his water. they wil eat all meaty foods, but make sure there is no fat on the meat, mince is no good as it has lots of fat. white meats have to be cooked. they love garden worms, as a general guide for feeding one serving should be roughly the size of their head once he is healthy feedings can be dropped down to once a day and things don't ned to be done so carefully but untill then be very carefull as it wont take much to give him a deadly infection good luck daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistymu05 Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 hows the turtle doing? i have a friend who has a turtle and i can ask her any questions if you havent already found your answer or taken the turtle to the vet = which i would say would be the best bet = i know the $$ thing can be a bit off putting but perhaps if you advise them that its not yours and that u found it in the back yard they mite give discounted fees or even do it for free depending on how friendly your vet is........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 doesn't the spca have on site vets this would be the best option as it would be much cheeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Vjarn Check your PM Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 if you want you can bring it to me i can fix it for free , i have keeped turtles all my life and breed 1000's of them and also had lots of people bring the sick turtles to me!! im working tomorrow 9-4 so bring her /him in if you want and i will see what needs to be done its alot cheeper than a vet and most vets dont no what to do with turtles as they dont learn that at vet school. or just phone me wk 4806846 im at work all next week as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vjarn Posted November 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 hi, guys thanks for all the info, the turtle is doing fine and have now named him/or crush, but i think its a he from web information. crush is now made home in the bath tub with rocks and such, he goes out side during the day to catch up on some sun, took it to the vet and they said the wounds are only minor and had not broken the skin, i think i was over reacting but who could blame me, he swims alot and eats plenty of earthworms. i think crush will make a good friend and he isnt at all that shy. thanks again everyone for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 thats great to here , keep us updated on how he/she is doing , long front claws its a male, short front claws like the back its a female Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 another tell tail sign is the underside of their shell at the back is concave it is male convex it is female Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.