Close to a month ago, I found a red eared slider on death's door by a local pond. Dehydrated and emaciated, the little fellow had terrible skin lessions, shell rot to the bone, an upper respiratory infection, and massively infected eyes. I am a wildlife rehabber & exotics rescuer, and couldn't bear leaving him there to die - but my turtle experience is minimal at best. Yet because he was a non-native, common, and undesirable species, I had one heck of a time finding people to help. I had a vet flat out refuse to treat it, a local turtle "lover" claim that I should let it die since it is essentially not worth the money and effort to treat, and several rehabbers refuse assistence.
Finally, a GREAT local rehabber helped me out with medicating, force feeding (he wouldn't eat), and other handy treatment tips. I'm happy to say that the turtle is on the fast track to recovery: mostly healed eyes, no URI, self-feeding on a good variety of foods, skin lessions healing, etc. The main issue now is keeping a dilligent watch on his remaining shell rot - and "turtle physical therapy." Between having been starved and then too sick to have interest in swimming or walking much, the lil bugger is a very weak swimmer. I've been working on that with him and he's gradually getting the hang of it again.
This is what he looked like on arrival an hour after his eyes had been treated; yeah, the one eye re-filled with pus that quickly. Both eyes were initially just this massively swollen crust red globs with pus oozing out between the eyelids.
Him today. His shell is still a mess like above & is presently my biggest worry, but I'm hoping that scrubs and daily "dry time" out in the sun soaking up UVB will help.
He's slowly starting to realize that I'm not JUST the nasty person who injects him with antibiotics and medicates his eyes and wounds, but the person who brings to food. I feel very honored when he comes out of hiding in my presence! I very badly want this turtle to live. I've only had him a month but I'm 110% ready to give him the best life I possibly can after all he's been through.
Finally, a GREAT local rehabber helped me out with medicating, force feeding (he wouldn't eat), and other handy treatment tips. I'm happy to say that the turtle is on the fast track to recovery: mostly healed eyes, no URI, self-feeding on a good variety of foods, skin lessions healing, etc. The main issue now is keeping a dilligent watch on his remaining shell rot - and "turtle physical therapy." Between having been starved and then too sick to have interest in swimming or walking much, the lil bugger is a very weak swimmer. I've been working on that with him and he's gradually getting the hang of it again.
This is what he looked like on arrival an hour after his eyes had been treated; yeah, the one eye re-filled with pus that quickly. Both eyes were initially just this massively swollen crust red globs with pus oozing out between the eyelids.
Him today. His shell is still a mess like above & is presently my biggest worry, but I'm hoping that scrubs and daily "dry time" out in the sun soaking up UVB will help.
He's slowly starting to realize that I'm not JUST the nasty person who injects him with antibiotics and medicates his eyes and wounds, but the person who brings to food. I feel very honored when he comes out of hiding in my presence! I very badly want this turtle to live. I've only had him a month but I'm 110% ready to give him the best life I possibly can after all he's been through.
