Hey everyone!

[Crystalw]

Hey! My name is Crystal and I just joined this site. I absolutely love all animals and my fiance and I are always rescuing all kinds of them. As of right now we have 3 tuxedo cats, 3 Green Anoles, 3 Copes Grey Tree Frogs, 1 Chinese water Dragon, 1 Leopard Gecko, 1 Crayfish, and Many assorted tropical fish. But we recently came across an Eastern Box Turtle in our Driveway which is the reason why I joined this site. We found the turtle in the middle of a storm and brought it inside to get a better look at it. We have every intension of returning it to the wild but but he is in such bad shape that we felt that he wouldn't survive very long alone in the wild. We have had him for about 4 days now and he will not eat or drink. He has a water dish that I change daily and I supplied fresh tomatoes, lettuce and superworms for him but he hasn't even tried to eat. I have noticed that he has some respiratory problems as well as his eyes are swollen shut and there is pus coming out of the top of his eye lids. I read a couple different articles online that suggested "soaking" him in the bathtub with 90 degrees water to help the swelling in the eyes and to have a heat lamp set at 85 degrees during the day. I have been soaking him and his eyes with warm water and it seemed to help for the first two days but now he has mucus coming out of his nose and mouth, he makes gasping noises when he breathes and he still hasn't eaten or drank any water. Im really concerned for his health. If anyone has any advice or suggestions PLEASE let me know!! It breaks my heart to see this little guy in such bad shape and I really want to help him.

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-My-Eastern-Box-Turtle-is-sick#ixzz1FtsvkHLd

 

[dmmj]

swollen eyes in a box turtle usually indicates a vitamin A deficiency, mucous coming out of the nose and mouth usually indicates a respiratory infection. Sounds like the poor little guy has double trouble, a vet visit is the only thing that will help him in the long run, in the short term warmer temps will help, but won't treat it. Also check your local laws regarding releasing animals, most states won't allow you to release an animal once it has been taken in, others will.

 

[coreyc]

Hello Crystal welcome to the forum

 

[B K]

Hello and Welcome

 

[Crystalw]

Hey! Thanks for the info dmmj . Im going to do my best at taking care of him until i can get him to vet.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Hope everything works out for the little guy.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Crystal:

Welcome to the forum!!

Your little box turtle needs antibiotics as soon as possible to clear up the respiratory infection. In the meantime, you can soak him in Gerber baby food water:

Get a small bowl or tub (with high sides and a small foot print) and put in a jar of Gerber strained (either carrots, squash or sweet potatoes, as these have the highest vit.a content). Add some warm water and mix it up. The water should come up to the middle of the turtle's sides. Leave him sitting in this solution for at least a half hour. You can place a light over him so he doesn't get cold. Do this every day and you should see the eye swelling go down within three days. You also need to get this turtle warm, so put a light on him in his box too. With a respiratory infection, they need to be at least 80 degrees all the time. Warmer is better, but no cooler.

Good luck with the turtle and please keep us informed.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[Zeely]

Welcome! Good luck with your poor little guy

 

[spikethebest]

Welcome!!

 

[Kristina]

Welcome to the forum.

I posted this information in your other thread as well, but I wanted to make sure you saw it.

I suggest turning him over to a licensed rehabber. He needs veterinary treatment NOW, there is nothing that you can get at a pet store that will help him.

Here is a list of reptile specialists licensed by the South Carolina DNR. Please contact the closest person to you immediately for help.

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/docs/reptiles.pdf

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-My-Eastern-Box-Turtle-is-sick#ixzz1FwXNoTXz

 

[Crystalw]

Thank you everyone for welcoming me and the advice! I checked out your list of specialist and the closest one to me is Piedmont, SC. Its around 2 hours but saving this little guys life is totally worth the drive. I will call their offices in the morning and see if they can take him. In the mean time I will keep my turtle warm and continue to soak him. And I'll get some Gerber baby food as well. And don't worry i will keep you informed on his progress