RES has big boil on face

[Loohan]

I have friends in Petaluma, CA who have this fair-sized RES they took in but after many months she has developed this big boil. They don't want to spend the bucks for a vet. They seem to think it will be very expensive to fix. But isn't this most likely just in need of some lancing and meds?

Last i heard, BTW, this turtle and aquarium setup was up for grabs. I'd take her but i live in AR.

Any idea what caused this? The lady asked me if it could be from too much nitrogen in the water.

 

[Markw84]

Looks like an abcess turtles will sometimes develop. Should be able to lance it and squeeze out the kind-of cheesy like material inside. Treat with an antiseptic ointment, and keep dry for an hour or two so it doesn't wash off right away. Should clear right up.

 

[Loohan]

Thanks Mark, that's about what i figured.
It's in the works.

I am curious, though: is this something that usually only happens in captivity? Does anyone know the cause?

 

[AmRoKo]

Sometimes people find them in the wild with this symptom. I even watched a youtube video of a boxie someone caught and then lanced, treated the area, I believe they set it free the next day.

 

[Loohan]

Thanks, ARK.

Bummer. Didn't go well:


Loohan.
Talk about a wiggle-worm! We bound Seet up in a damp towel and Seet was trying hard to escape.
Sterilized all instruments and laid them out.
Used Betadine to disinfect the area we were to lance. Recommended.
Had antibiotic cream ready and waiting.
Coaxing Seets head out to lance took up forever.
Sterile needles didn't work! Too small.
Sterile Xacto Knife did work but then squeezing out the "stuff" made Seet cry; obviously painful.
Some of it liquid, some of it real hard.
Didn't get it out.
Seet crying stopped us.
Now what?
If Seet was knocked out it would work.

So now i guess they will have to take her to the vet.

 

[AmRoKo]

I would take to the vet to get him on some sort of antibiotic, probably injections, right away. If this gets septic, that will be very deadly. Another thing, make sure his basking platform, he's able to completely dry out while using it, I have heard when turtles are unable to dry out fully that's when they can most likely get these ear cysts.

 

[Loohan]

Thanks, ARK. I forwarded the advice.
Until a few days ago (after i posted this thread) the turtle was kept in a big aquarium with a plastic platform. But then they read somewhere that RESs don't really need that, and moved her to a box. I have not studied up on RESs myself, but Jan 21 they wrote me the following: (I'm not sure it is all correct, esp. about heating pad.)

Thanks for the info from the forum. It led me to a lot of other info, I'll share with you.
* RES turtles, like Seet, do NOT need an aquarium!
They can live in a high-sided box or container and for 10 minutes per day, be placed in another container of water to eat and poop in.
*The water should NOT be heated, if indoors.
*They can live their lives with this habitat and do fine.
*Also, a good quality Koi pellets as their food supplies all their nutrition; only a few worms(earthworms) a week as treats/supplements.
I did not know these things!
Will be treating Seet in a few days once I have the correct antibiotic cream.
Moving Seet today into a plastic box with the sides that have been modified with metal screens to let in air.
Seet will need a heating pad set on Low under a towel to lay on and the basking light at the other end of the box.
It's a big, long box!
Then I will lance the boil....

 

[Markw84]

Thanks, ARK. I forwarded the advice.
Until a few days ago (after i posted this thread) the turtle was kept in a big aquarium with a plastic platform. But then they read somewhere that RESs don't really need that, and moved her to a box. I have not studied up on RESs myself, but Jan 21 they wrote me the following: (I'm not sure it is all correct, esp. about heating pad.)

Thanks for the info from the forum. It led me to a lot of other info, I'll share with you.
* RES turtles, like Seet, do NOT need an aquarium!
They can live in a high-sided box or container and for 10 minutes per day, be placed in another container of water to eat and poop in.
*The water should NOT be heated, if indoors.
*They can live their lives with this habitat and do fine.
*Also, a good quality Koi pellets as their food supplies all their nutrition; only a few worms(earthworms) a week as treats/supplements.
I did not know these things!
Will be treating Seet in a few days once I have the correct antibiotic cream.
Moving Seet today into a plastic box with the sides that have been modified with metal screens to let in air.
Seet will need a heating pad set on Low under a towel to lay on and the basking light at the other end of the box.
It's a big, long box!
Then I will lance the boil....

Where did they get that advice?? Red Ears are aquatic turtles. They spend most of their entire life IN the water except to bask (termoregulate) and to lay eggs. In the wild if you ever see an red ear out of the water (unless basking on the very edge, or laying eggs) it is a sick turtle. They sleep, explore, brumate(hibernate), mate, eat, IN THE WATER. If indoors, the water should be kept at least at 70 degrees and a basking spot where they can get their body temps at least to the mid 80's. If they cannot get their body temps to the mid 80's they cannot metabolize food, fight infections, etc. They will not do well with heat from underneath - they are basking turtles and thermo-regulate by letting the heat source heat their shell from above. their carapace (as with all basking turtles) is darker to absorb heat. A healthy turtle while basking will often spread out their legs and spread their toes creating solar panels out of their feet. IF they get too warm - they go back into the water to cool back down. DO NOT keep a turtle as described above.

 

[Loohan]

Thanks, Mark. I had doubts about that info too. But some sources, including Wikipedia, call RESs semi-aquatic.
This was an apparently feral turtle that their neighbor found crawling across their driveway, and gave them. It seemed slightly injured or lame at the time. No ponds or bodies of water anywhere around there.
So they went out and bought a big aquarium etc. for $300.

I will append a couple pics so one can see her nails and try to judge whether she was a pet. She is about 8" long.

I found the early emails from August. The lady said
"Loohan,
We were all entertained last night for HOURS watching the turtle happily swim and then cheered when she climbed up her floating platform and basked under the light. I felt it had been a LONG time (or never) that she had a place to swim. It seemed difficult for her at first. When we would talk to each other in the room about her, she would turn her neck towards the person talking!...

"The back of her shell is cracked and we were told over time it will heal. Her right front leg she favors."



These pics were taken the day after they got her.

 

[Markw84]

Loohan, thanks for taking the time for your friend to get better info for this turtle. If you do read on, even Widipedia expounds on the aquatic nature of this turtle, although I would not rely on that as a good source of care info on any species. Lots of outdated material especially on turtles and tortoises all over the web and at pet shops.

Here's from a little further down in Wikipedia....

Behavior[edit]

Red-eared sliders must sunbathe regularly to regulate their temperature.
Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but as they are cold-blooded, they leave the water to sunbathe to regulate their temperature.

So, from your pictures this is obviously a female. Can't tell if it was a captive that escaped (or was dumped) or a wild individual. The shell shape does look like a wild individual or a captive that was actually well taken care of. To find one quite far from water, is was either escaped, dumped, or if wild was out looking for another pond as it was dissatisfied with its old place, or looking for a place to lay eggs. It does definately look big and old enough to lay but from what you are saying apparently this was in August in Oregon? Egg laying would normally be late May - maybe early August. Although red ears are not from Oregon, there are now established populations throughout the US and many parts of the world. I would be this was a pet that was simply released somewhere when the owner decided they no longer wanted it. They may have found a stream or small pond they thought the turtle would like, but the turtle had other ideas and went out in search of a better habitat. They describe it having trouble swimming at first - it was probably quite dehydrated.

The abscess that started this thread is normally indicative of poor water conditions. Actually akin to an ear infection. The biggest issue with turtles people choose to keep indoors is keeping the water quality up. Turtles create a lot of waste and water goes bad in a few days if not filtered with a filtering systems rated for at least 3 times the size of the tank they are in. Filters are rated for Fish loads in a balanced aquarium.

Sounds like they started to succeed with treating the abscess, but probably will not succeed if they don't thoroughly clear it out. Ones I've had to treat that came from poor conditions in the pet trade all did quite well. You do have to grab the neck right behind the head, and hold on as they are quite strong. This will allow someone else helping to have better luck working on it. It is sometimes almost impossible to grab a turtle's head, so what you do is hold the turtle upside down and it will extend its neck fully as a natural reflex to use it's head to flip itself back over. As it does this, with one hand under the shell while upside down, grab the neck - and the back of the jaws create a nice purchase point to hang on. Clean with betadine, lance and clean out. Treat with antiseptic ointment. Keep dry and warm for a few hours.

Also, a good koi pellet does make a good turtle staple, however, I definitely prefer Mazuri aquatic turtle pellets since I go through so much. I can buy 25 lb bags at my feed store very reasonably priced. I mix 50/50 with koi pellets and throw in the pond since I am feeding both turtles and koi at the same time. For tanks where I am raising turtles only, I use just the turtle foods as I don't have to worry about the koi.

 

[Loohan]

Thanks for the info, Mark.
Yes, i heard she was a poop machine and it's a struggle to keep the water clean. The turtle was found in Petaluma, CA.

NOW the lady clarifies that all the care info she sent me was more for a SICK RES, not a healthy one. Doesn't explain the unheated water, though. Except that if the turtle is only in there briefly...
Hopefully with your tip about grabbing the neck they will be able to do something...

 

[Yvonne G]

You have to grab the turtle's head behind the jaws and hold tight. Then you make an "X" incision across the abscess. As soon as you do that, all the pus will pop out. Squirt Betadyne into the cavity and make sure you clean out all the pus. Keep the turtle dry docked for a couple days, with an hour daily into the water to eat and drink.

Ear abscesses usually occur because of an infection someplace in the body, not necessarily at the ear site.

 

[Loohan]

Thanks, Yvonne.
It looks like this turtle will be donated to some local vetinarians who have their own sizable turtle refuge.
I hope their refuge doesn't have male RESs...

I can understand why people want to let go of their RESs when they get big.

 

[Loohan]

She ended up at the "Bay Area Turtle and Tortoise Rescue" in Castro Valley.

Interesting place. Has some big sulcatas.