I was mowing the lawn and one of my leopard tortoises walked under the lawn mower. what can I do, I don't have several hundred dollars to spend on him.
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Help I think I killed my Leopard tortoise
- Thread starter FGCinHB
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Are you talking about the red spot on the vertebral scute? Are the limbs ok with no damage? Don't worry about it. Turtles and tortoises are very strong when it comes to injuries. I've seen wild turtles with scars and healed over holes in their carapaces that just make you cringe. I had a little pond turtle with a hole in her carapace just about where your red scute is and it was big enough to put a quarter on. You could see the heart beating. After many months of treatment, she is a wonderful, tame cute-as-can-be turtle with no problems at all.
Might not be a bad idea to go through a regimen of antibiotics, though.
Might not be a bad idea to go through a regimen of antibiotics, though.
WOW I was expecting a much worse pic when I opened this thread, I am no expert but I believe it should heal if properly taken care of, wow I think it is a lucky tort actually if that is the only damage to it.
I would have a vet look at it. It may need to be cleaned and a a dose of antibiotics given. Good luck!
He will be fine. Just keep it clean with betadine and watch it for any sign of infection. Your vet may want to get him started on a round of antibiotics to prevent any infection. You may want to do some light hydrotherapy a couple times a day to promote scar tissue to form.
-Matt
-Matt
If there is even a little bone left there it will die and form a barrier that new scute material will form under. So keep the area clean and covered with an antibiotic ointment.
New bone will eventually form under the new scute material that is put down. So no actual scar tissue will form, so I don't think hydrotherapy would be a good idea for the shell.
Danny
New bone will eventually form under the new scute material that is put down. So no actual scar tissue will form, so I don't think hydrotherapy would be a good idea for the shell.
Danny
Neosporin and get your vet to prescribe antibiotics...if you can avoid infection, your tort will likely be OK.
I've seen torts and boxies, that've had mishaps w/ lawnmowers, that looked a lot worse, yet lived...you were both most fortunate!
I've seen torts and boxies, that've had mishaps w/ lawnmowers, that looked a lot worse, yet lived...you were both most fortunate!
Hydrotherapy wouldn't hurt. It promotes new growth.
egyptiandan said:If there is even a little bone left there it will die and form a barrier that new scute material will form under. So keep the area clean and covered with an antibiotic ointment.
New bone will eventually form under the new scute material that is put down. So no actual scar tissue will form, so I don't think hydrotherapy would be a good idea for the shell.
Danny
This might be a stupid question but will this tortoise be in pain? I mean can it feel that?
Poor tort, hope he has a speedy recovery.
This may seem ridiculous to ask ,but is this what would happen if someone were to sand down a pyramided scute? Was this just cut off by the blade of the lawn mower? I will be curious to see weather this will grow back pyramided?(Not that I am thinking we could do this,,,,please don't think that's why I am asking.)
Wait, could this be the answer to pyramiding???
Really I am kidding.just a very very long day.
Na
Wait, could this be the answer to pyramiding???
Really I am kidding.just a very very long day.
Na
Hydrotherapy is great for skin, but a carapce is fingernail material and bone. I'd worry about an infection if you kept the area wet.
Yes a tortoise can very much feel what happens to the carapace, just not the same as we would if we had bone exposed. The nerve endings tend to die pretty quickly so the pain from an injury like this will be short lived.
Yes this is exactly what would happen if you sanded or cut off a pyramided scute. Bone is replaced (the exposed bone will die and be replaced), but lost bone never grows back (not possible to do that).
Danny
Yes a tortoise can very much feel what happens to the carapace, just not the same as we would if we had bone exposed. The nerve endings tend to die pretty quickly so the pain from an injury like this will be short lived.
Yes this is exactly what would happen if you sanded or cut off a pyramided scute. Bone is replaced (the exposed bone will die and be replaced), but lost bone never grows back (not possible to do that).
Danny
I ran over a box turtle years back with a lawn mower that looked much worse than this and it survived well afterwards. I am not a vet and can't make any real assessment based on pictures alone, but my opinion is you don't have anything to worry about with the tortoises long term health.
Other than the wound you have a nice looking leopard!
Other than the wound you have a nice looking leopard!
egyptiandan said:
I didn't mean to keep it wet. That would be bad.
-Matt
Thats not a recommended way of getting rid or pyrimiding.. that being said.. ;-).. you lucked out big time!
May I suggest having a pen that you lock them up into BEFORE you mow next time..
Ive had to mow the yard before.. and even tho I KNOW i secured them.. I always freak out..
May I suggest having a pen that you lock them up into BEFORE you mow next time..
Ive had to mow the yard before.. and even tho I KNOW i secured them.. I always freak out..
What was lost will never grow back, but it will be replaced with bone to cover the hole and thats all. The spot will get a "skin" over it if there is no bone left there. That "skin" will protect the new scute material. When the new scute material is there, new bone will form under the new scute material. This whole process will take about a year to complete.
Danny
Danny
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