Broken shell :(

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Johnlaws

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I feel like a complete idiot posting this, but I had my baby outside, watching him eat some weeds with my daughter and she accidentally stepped on him and cracked his shell. What can I possibly do?????ImageUploadedByTortForum1375832020.422133.jpg


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jjsull33

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I am pretty sure you should keep him dry and keep it clean, as for how to repair it I am not sure, but someone with more experience on cracked shells will be along shortly.
 

Levi the Leopard

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No clue what you should do.. good luck though. It's hard for me to see it in the picture but if you say it's cracked then ouchie. Hoping someone offers advice soon. I'm going to follow along so I can learn some tortie first aid should I ever need it.
 

Johnlaws

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I'm boiling some water now,going to let it cool off and clean it up. It isn't bleeding much at all and he actually doesn't seem too disturbed by it. I have put him in a 10 gallon tank with paper towel bottom. I'm not sure what to treat it with. Wonder if I can use spray neosporin to get inside. Also considering a band aid to hold it together, because its cracked by his leg so when he walks is opens.. ? But I probably wouldn't be able to remove it until it heals completely.


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Team Gomberg said:
No clue what you should do.. good luck though. It's hard for me to see it in the picture but if you say it's cracked then ouchie. Hoping someone offers advice soon. I'm going to follow along so I can learn some tortie first aid should I ever need it.

It's cracked pretty good, all the way through. When he walks it opens quite a bit. I'm not sure who feels worse the Tort, myself or my daughter..


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motero

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Start searching this forum you might find some help sooner. Basically you have to keep it clean and your going to have to find a way to stabilize it while it heals. Maybe medical tape all the way around his shell?


Google tortoise shell repair.
 

Johnlaws

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I've read a few things around the net. Yeah I'm just going to keep him quarantined and keep It clean. I'm considering using scotch tape to hold it together. I think it will have less adhesive to pull off when I clean it. I'm pretty resourceful. I will rebuild him..... I have the technology.


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samsmom

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there is an ace bandage type tape that sticks to itself. i was using it to tape my broken toe to another toe but it kept slipping off so now i'm using just white athletic tape and it works great, not hard to remove it at all! good luck!
 

LisaTurtle

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I think I read on this forum about glueing a few zip ties over the break so it pulls the shell together in the break and holds it tight - you cut the zip ties (they dont wrap all the way around the shell) Whoever posted it had pictures too. Try searching by zip tie or googling it if you dont see it here. Seems pretty smart to me. I've never dealt with this myself but seems you would want to be sure there is no swelling. Good luck and keep us posted.
 

Johnlaws

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I tried looking for zip ties but came up empty. Here's what I'm doing. I have him now in a plain 10 gallon tank with paper towel bedding, his hide and his lamp. I boiled and then cooled water to clean the wound. I then used a diluted mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide and squirted it on the shell to clean once more. I didn't want to seal the wound completely with glue or anything because I want to be able to monitor and clean the wound. I ended up using clear scotch tape to hold the shell in place. I suppose at this point all I can do is keep it clean and hope it heals. Babies sleep alot so hopefully this will work to his advantage by not moving alot and letting it heal quicker.

Ill update this thread, hopefully it will all work out.


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jojodesca

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wow..how big is your daughter...the shell is pretty strong...I can't imagine a toddler doing that damage...
 

mike taylor

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Look on YouTube there is a guy that is fixing a red ear sliders broken shell . I think he's under reptile guy he is in Canada.

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*misskerrimoo*

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The stretchy bandage that sticks to itself is called Koban. You can get it at stores that sell livestock medicines & supplies... It's a lot cheaper there than at medical stores... For humans, I mean. Superglue is what our local wildlife Man uses. I had a talk with his wife about what to do when I find turtles in the toad who have been hit & have cracked shells & will live. She said to irigate it well, then put a little Superglue along the crack, hold it together til it dries... & he's never had a problem with it. Just thought I'd share! I keep a big handbag in my car full on medical supplies & glue, incase I see one I can help out, along all our country roads out here.... :)
Just thought I'd share! She said acrylic also works well, but is harder to find the "right" kind & she couldn't remember the name at the time...!
Good luck!
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If you can keep him clean (paper towels work) and the edges approximated w/o moving them, it should heal.
Assuming there isn't any internal damage, but if he continues to act normally otherwise, then you are probably safe.

You do want to prevent flies from laying eggs in the wound, but the split sounds clean so that shouldn't be hard.
The Koban is a great idea to keep the sides approximated, it only sticks to itself.
Once you have it dressed and the edges together, I certainly wouldn't keep reopening it to clean it, etc. Just keep the edges together, like a fracture.

Ideally you would find a reputable reptile vet who can help in the long run.
 

Johnlaws

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jojodesca said:
wow..how big is your daughter...the shell is pretty strong...I can't imagine a toddler doing that damage...

She's 6. We were laying in the yard with the tort, and the neighbor girl came outside. So in her excitement to go play she just jumped up to run next door. And boom...


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lynnedit said:
If you can keep him clean (paper towels work) and the edges approximated w/o moving them, it should heal.
Assuming there isn't any internal damage, but if he continues to act normally otherwise, then you are probably safe.

You do want to prevent flies from laying eggs in the wound, but the split sounds clean so that shouldn't be hard.
The Koban is a great idea to keep the sides approximated, it only sticks to itself.
Once you have it dressed and the edges together, I certainly wouldn't keep reopening it to clean it, etc. Just keep the edges together, like a fracture.

Ideally you would find a reputable reptile vet who can help in the long run.
Ill look into the Koban. The break is clean its between the scutes. Obviously I have no idea if anything internal is affected, but it hasn't seemed to slow him down. I'm going to contact a vet today and see what my options are.


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Johnlaws

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ImageUploadedByTortForum1375910023.504807.jpg update:: I called some vets today and they could not help me.they referred me to each other, which was no help. I ended up calling a local wildlife rehabilitator and they gave me some advise as to what to do, but most of that info I had already found on the web. As for today, he was alive when I woke up this morning. This afternoon I came home from work and he was looking good basking under his light I cleaned it with neosporin to go (spray) and then fed him. He went to the bathroom and ate his food. The tape seems to really help keep the shell closed while he walks. He seems to be doing good at this point.


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Johnlaws

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Unfortunately the little guy just passed. He seemed to be doing good, then yesterday was very lethargic. Seems there was more damage than could be seen. We gave him a nice burial and a small service in the back yard. My daughter is pretty upset knowing it was (accidentally) her fault. I told her we would get another one, but larger so it wouldn't happen again. That seemed to cheer her up.


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