Found a hurt eastern box turtle

[Freckles24]

Well I guess it found me. This is my first post and it's going to be a long one (sorry about that). We live out in the country and my dad leaves the garage door open to let our dogs out in the morning. So this morning I was about to leave when I found this little girl on the mat inside the walk through garage door. My first thought was "oh I'll put her in the grass" but then I saw her broken shell. Since then I diluted an iodine solution and cleaned it off and then put Neosporin on it and put a bandage over all of it to keep debris out of it. I'm planning on alternating bandage and Neosporin and airing it out. Pictures below before I cleaned it out. Now I have her in a plastic bin outside in the shade (it's pretty warm out) with a clean towel on the bottom, a hiding hut, water, and food (carrots, broccoli, & sweet potato). I read these foods are high in Vitamin A which would help healing. She already ate some broccoli and is acting okay. Any tips or other advice?

 

[daniellenc]

I would continue to keep it clean and dry. Also check out the box turtle care sheet here!

 

[Jtort1]

You're doing everything right
Nice that you're nursing her back to health.
Are you planning on keeping her when she's healthy again?

 

[Freckles24]

You're doing everything right
Nice that you're nursing her back to health.
Are you planning on keeping her when she's healthy again?

I'm not sure yet, I know they are a lot of hard work but I'm considering it. Honestly, I probably will because by the time she is healed I'll be attached lol.

 

[Alaskamike]

Wow. That's a bad crack. I'm always amazed at how torts can often heal after really bad injury.

Maybe one of the vets here will provide some suggestions. They've saved some really damaged ones.

Good fortune with her.

 

[Freckles24]

I don't have any new pictures, but I took the band aid off and it's crazy how much improvement there is (it's probably in my head) but the wound just looks 'neater'? Neosporin is magical! I'll hopefully have some picture updates in the morning.

 

[ColleenT]

Thanks for caring. Good luck with her/him. try an earthworm, if you can get any.

 

[Freckles24]

Thanks for caring. Good luck with her/him. try an earthworm, if you can get any.

I looked earlier today and I think it's just been too hot for them to be out... would live worm bait work? I could readily get some of that but I wasn't sure if it was the same thing

 

[Alaskamike]

I looked earlier today and I think it's just been too hot for them to be out... would live worm bait work? I could readily get some of that but I wasn't sure if it was the same thing

If you mean worms that are sold as bait - yes. They luv 'em.

 

[TammyJ]

All the best with her recovery!

 

[Freckles24]

Update: I bought worms yesterday and she didn't seem interested which was worrisome. Then I looked into it and I of course bought red worms (I just thought a worm was a worm ya kno?) So obviously she wasn't going to eat those. Today I went to a different Walmart (the first one only had red worms) and got "baby earthworms" so maybe I'll have better luck with those. I also got calcium powder to add in with the worms.

She's moving around pretty good but doesn't really eat much and hasn't used the bathroom... is there anything I can do to help that 'along'?

 

[ColleenT]

stress can put them off food. Red worms are fine. there is nothing wrong with those. When you check on them too often they can get stressed. i know it is frustrating. they hate change.

 

[Freckles24]

What a difference 48 hours makes! I'm pretty sure this is a good sign (unless it's infected then but Im thinking/ hoping it's skin growing to cover the exposed parts

Top- before I cleaned it /initial picture
Bottom- about 5 minutes ago when I re cleaned and before put Neosporin on it

 

[Freckles24]

Latest picture! It's growing back pretty well
And I have decided to name her Meadow!

So I'm on another forum (a purely turtle forum) and they keep telling me to epoxy it back together. Honestly, I am afraid to do that and make anything worse. The pieces are pretty "stuck" in place and I don't think I could push it back together. I think it's healing itself okay for now. What do you all think?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm worried the open part will catch on underbrush as she walks along outdoors. We'll see what it looks like when it's all healed up. Lucky she's still so young, as the young ones heal much faster. Be sure to keep fly eggs off the wound.

 

[Freckles24]

I'm worried the open part will catch on underbrush as she walks along outdoors. We'll see what it looks like when it's all healed up. Lucky she's still so young, as the young ones heal much faster. Be sure to keep fly eggs off the wound.

I'm keeping her inside currently and I'm buying a 40 gallon today to keep her in during winter. I think by then it'll kind of be back to normal.

I keep a glob of Neosporin on it so it's pretty much sealed from bugs I think.

 

[Alaskamike]

I do wish one of the vets on here would respond. I've seen all kinds of repairs done on shells. If the shell is pushed back together , the open area must be rinsed very clean with sterile water .

You can do it with tap water first but then use a squirt bottle - the steril water can be got at a pharmacy.

I've done repairs before on turtles hit by cars. I used bedadine (sp) solution. I can't say this is right, I'm not a vet. But it's used on open bed sores with humans - so what the hey. I let them go after a year of care. 2 out of 4 I tried to save lived in my dads pond & did great. And they were severely broken. The other 2 didn't make it.

Found a regular snapper in Indiana as a teen. It had one back leg crushed on road. It was an adult , about 20 lbs. my mom said to let it go, it would live or die - that's nature. But it's leg was smushed. I amputated the leg , cauterized the stump with a curling iron to stop bleeding & " stumpy" lived in a neighbors goldfish pond just fine. ( my mom was mortified , threw out the bloody curling iron , said I ruined it !) Years later I saw him sunning on the bank. Go figure.

Never tried attaching shell back in place. My worry was trapping bacteria in there. But on a very young one like yours , if I could get my hands on the superglue they use on humans , I might.

Tortoises ( turtles too ) are amazing in their ability to heal.

 

[ColleenT]

i would never use epoxy on an open wound. wait until it heals, and if it is still an open gash, then maybe consider epoxy, but i would wait for sure.

 

[Freckles24]

i would never use epoxy on an open wound. wait until it heals, and if it is still an open gash, then maybe consider epoxy, but i would wait for sure.

My thoughts exactly

 

[PJay]

Latest picture! It's growing back pretty well
And I have decided to name her Meadow!

So I'm on another forum (a purely turtle forum) and they keep telling me to epoxy it back together. Honestly, I am afraid to do that and make anything worse. The pieces are pretty "stuck" in place and I don't think I could push it back together. I think it's healing itself okay for now. What do you all think?

I think it looks good. I picked up a box turtle in the road, walking along a rediculously tall curb a couple weeks back. My intention was to move her over the curb, but when I flipped her over she had a bleeding crack in her plastron; must of been hit by a car just before I found her. I set her up on moist paper towels and a few days later her cracks looked just like your little ones does. Several days after that the whitish tissue spanned across the whole crack and appears to be hardening.