Part of Baby Box Turtle's Tail Missing

[WallieTheTortoise]

Hey guys, I was doing a complete clean up of Pepper's enclosure today so I put her in a separate container to soak her. When I went to put her back in her enclosure, I noticed that the middle of her tail is raw. It looks like the scale on the tail was ripped off. I noticed it today because after her soak it looked like her tail was bent in the middle. Can someone help me please? Here are some pics. Thanks!

 

[Laura]

the end looks darker.. like it may be dead... it should just fall off and hopfully not cause an issue..triple antibiotic cream on it may help.. keep an eye on it..

 

[terryo]

Have you fed her any meal worms, and left some in the enclosure? It looks like something is trying to eat her. Years ago I threw in a few meal worms for two hatchlings and they turned into beetles and ate both babies. Two days later I found nothing but two shells. Also, is there anything sharp in the enclosure? Ants? In the meantime, I would clean the area, and put her in a separate little tub with moist paper towel, until you can find out what did that.

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

Have you fed her any meal worms, and left some in the enclosure? It looks like something is trying to eat her. Years ago I threw in a few meal worms for two hatchlings and they turned into beetles and ate both babies. Two days later I found nothing but two shells. Also, is there anything sharp in the enclosure? Ants? In the meantime, I would clean the area, and put her in a separate little tub with moist paper towel, until you can find out what did that.

Hey,

There isn't anything alive in her enclosure. When I feed her live food, I watch her eat them. All the items in her enclosure are not sharp, there's a silk plant, round food dish, and a pretty smooth water dish. What should I clean it with?

 

[terryo]

Have you fed her any meal worms, and left some in the enclosure? It looks like something is trying to eat her. Years ago I threw in a few meal worms for two hatchlings and they turned into beetles and ate both babies. Two days later I found nothing but two shells. Also, is there anything sharp in the enclosure? Ants? In the meantime, I would clean the area, and put her in a separate little tub with moist paper towel, until you can find out what did that.

Hey,

There isn't anything alive in her enclosure. When I feed her live food, I watch her eat them. All the items in her enclosure are not sharp, there's a silk plant, round food dish, and a pretty smooth water dish. What should I clean it with?

I would just clean her with warm water, and put a little antibiotic ointment on the tail, put her in a little tub that you can put in her enclosure. Wet some paper towel and squeeze it out and fluff it up and put it in there. She will try to bury herself in the paper towel. Keep her very warm. See if you can pm Yvonne or Maggie and see what they think it might be.

 

[Sammy]

Have you fed her any meal worms, and left some in the enclosure? It looks like something is trying to eat her. Years ago I threw in a few meal worms for two hatchlings and they turned into beetles and ate both babies. Two days later I found nothing but two shells. Also, is there anything sharp in the enclosure? Ants? In the meantime, I would clean the area, and put her in a separate little tub with moist paper towel, until you can find out what did that.

This is like a horror story, sorry to hear that. Omg, it's terrible.

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

I would just clean her with warm water, and put a little antibiotic ointment on the tail, put her in a little tub that you can put in her enclosure. Wet some paper towel and squeeze it out and fluff it up and put it in there. She will try to bury herself in the paper towel. Keep her very warm. See if you can pm Yvonne or Maggie and see what they think it might be.

Thank you Terryo

 

[turtlemann2]

everyone else asked about bugs and such but im going to go ahead and ask if there is another turt? perhaps it got nipped but the other. or maybe there isnt another : (

anyways it should heal just fine and if your lucky enough to have it turn out to be a girl all will be fine and nothing will be hurt in the long run buttttttt if enough damage has been done and it turns out to be a boy then he may have some dificulties mating, seeing as though the tail is so important in terms of mating

hope all turns out fine, as it should : ) poor little guy.
or girl : )

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

everyone else asked about bugs and such but im going to go ahead and ask if there is another turt? perhaps it got nipped but the other. or maybe there isnt another : (

anyways it should heal just fine and if your lucky enough to have it turn out to be a girl all will be fine and nothing will be hurt in the long run buttttttt if enough damage has been done and it turns out to be a boy then he may have some dificulties mating, seeing as though the tail is so important in terms of mating

hope all turns out fine, as it should : ) poor little guy.
or girl : )

Thanks, she/he is in her own enclosure. I just don't know what happened...

 

[zesty_17]

I don't really have any advice about the "why or how" it happened, but about 13 years ago, my little ornate was about 2 months old had the very same thing. She eventually lost the end of her tail, it healed over and she has been just fine since. The only thing I treated it with then was triple antibiotic ointment...

 

[Tccarolina]

Can she close her shell yet? Maybe she pinched it. Very odd.

Steve

---

Have you fed her any meal worms, and left some in the enclosure? It looks like something is trying to eat her. Years ago I threw in a few meal worms for two hatchlings and they turned into beetles and ate both babies. Two days later I found nothing but two shells. Also, is there anything sharp in the enclosure? Ants? In the meantime, I would clean the area, and put her in a separate little tub with moist paper towel, until you can find out what did that.

Wow. What a terrible accident. I hope a lot of people have been able to benefit from your story. I know I just crossed mealworms off my list of potential baby tank foods.

Steve

 

[SulcataSquirt]

what is the hottest basking spot in the enclosure?? is their a basking rock under the light? it could be possible the very tip of the tail just got to hot and crisped up, and the good part( where the raw part is and back to her shell will still live, but the very end just got to hot and died off? basking rocks/slates can get very got under spot lamps and what not. this is just a thought? since the other things have been ruled out..

 

[Tortoise]

Have you fed her any meal worms, and left some in the enclosure? It looks like something is trying to eat her. Years ago I threw in a few meal worms for two hatchlings and they turned into beetles and ate both babies. Two days later I found nothing but two shells. Also, is there anything sharp in the enclosure? Ants? In the meantime, I would clean the area, and put her in a separate little tub with moist paper towel, until you can find out what did that.

Thanks for the warning-I didn't know they would do that-poor babies!

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

what is the hottest basking spot in the enclosure?? is their a basking rock under the light? it could be possible the very tip of the tail just got to hot and crisped up, and the good part( where the raw part is and back to her shell will still live, but the very end just got to hot and died off? basking rocks/slates can get very got under spot lamps and what not. this is just a thought? since the other things have been ruled out..

She hides most of the time so I don't think it's because of he basking light. Also, it looks like just the outer layer of the tail came off (it's not hanging off) like if we got our skin scraped off. In the picture the end of her tail looks necrotic, but I don't think it is (pic looks darker than it really is).

---

I don't really have any advice about the "why or how" it happened, but about 13 years ago, my little ornate was about 2 months old had the very same thing. She eventually lost the end of her tail, it healed over and she has been just fine since. The only thing I treated it with then was triple antibiotic ointment...

Thanks for the reply, I put some neosporin.