My tortoise has a cut

KronksMom

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Can you get a closer picture? It looks like a puncture wound. Any idea what caused this? It matters because something solid like an exposed nail is less likely to still be in there, as opposed to a splinter from his substrate, there's likely to be foreign material in the wound tract. If you don't know, you don't know though.
 

zovick

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There’s a red cut on my tortoises head, what do I do?
From what I can see in the photo, it appears that you could clean the wound gently with a cotton swab moistened with either water or peroxide and then apply a tiny amount of Neosporin ointment to it. I would expect it to heal in a couple of weeks. If it seems to be getting infected or seems not to be healing after that time goes by, you may need to go to a vet and have it checked.

Also as @KronksMom said, look for the object which may have caused the injury and remove it or file it down to prevent further such episodes.
 

Blackdog1714

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A photograph would help to better diagnose. For now just put some antibiotic (Neosporin) cream on it. You can rince it if it has dirt in the cut
 

Yvonne G

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Why would anyone treat minor first aid wounds any differently from how you would treat this same wound on your dog, cat or kid? First aid is first aid, regardless of what creature needs it.

After treatment you go over the enclosure thoroughly, running your hand over surfaces he can come into contact with to try to find how it happened.
 

Pastel Tortie

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:eek: You know, I stayed completely out of any medical fields in college because I don't like dealing with blood and guts. Biology was tempting, but in my experience, dissections do not prove good for my health. ;) If I had gone in one of those directions, I probably would have ended up on the epidemiology side of the house anyway.
 

Mavsonfire

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From what I can see in the photo, it appears that you could clean the wound gently with a cotton swab moistened with either water or peroxide and then apply a tiny amount of Neosporin ointment to it. I would expect it to heal in a couple of weeks. If it seems to be getting infected or seems not to be healing after that time goes by, you may need to go to a vet and have it checked.

Also as @KronksMom said, look for the object which may have caused the injury and remove it or file it down to prevent further such episodes.
K I think it happened when he wiped his nose during a soake, I think his nails scratched his head. After a couple hours the wound isn’t there anymore, thank you for helping tho!
 

KronksMom

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:eek: You know, I stayed completely out of any medical fields in college because I don't like dealing with blood and guts. Biology was tempting, but in my experience, dissections do not prove good for my health. ;) If I had gone in one of those directions, I probably would have ended up on the epidemiology side of the house anyway.
I'm sorry, for some reason I got the impression you worked in a vet's office. I'll definitely stop tagging you in the gross stuff!
 

Pastel Tortie

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I'm sorry, for some reason I got the impression you worked in a vet's office. I'll definitely stop tagging you in the gross stuff!
No worries. :)

I have worked with quite a few veterinarians before, most all of them involved in disease control and/or laboratory diagnostics. I just have a gift for planning, tracking, analysis, and translating scientific and technical jargon into plain English.
 

KronksMom

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No worries. :)

I have worked with quite a few veterinarians before, most all of them involved in disease control and/or laboratory diagnostics. I just have a gift for planning, tracking, analysis, and translating scientific and technical jargon into plain English.
VERY useful skills. I myself am often called by friends and even just acquaintances to translate medical terminology for them. I wish more doctors understood that the language you use can often frighten patients more than the actual procedures.

Sorry to distract from your tortoise @Mavsonfire . Zovick knows his stuff though. Just follow his directions and keep an eye on it. And if it seems like anything's wrong (any odd smell, a lot of pus, feels warm to the touch), post more pictures or make that vet appointment. Puncture wounds are tricky because they go deeper and have a higher chance of introducing bacteria into the body. So make sure it stays moist so that his body can keep pushing the bad stuff out. A scab would just trap whatever's in there in.
 

Mavsonfire

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VERY useful skills. I myself am often called by friends and even just acquaintances to translate medical terminology for them. I wish more doctors understood that the language you use can often frighten patients more than the actual procedures.

Sorry to distract from your tortoise @Mavsonfire . Zovick knows his stuff though. Just follow his directions and keep an eye on it. And if it seems like anything's wrong (any odd smell, a lot of pus, feels warm to the touch), post more pictures or make that vet appointment. Puncture wounds are tricky because they go deeper and have a higher chance of introducing bacteria into the body. So make sure it stays moist so that his body can keep pushing the bad stuff out. A scab would just trap whatever's in there in.
The cut isn’t there anymore, does that mean he’s okay now? He’s look very happy
 

Maggie3fan

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:eek: You know, I stayed completely out of any medical fields in college because I don't like dealing with blood and guts. Biology was tempting, but in my experience, dissections do not prove good for my health. ;) If I had gone in one of those directions, I probably would have ended up on the epidemiology side of the house anyway.
bugs?
 

Chefdenoel10

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poor wee stinker.... wash and clean it carefully, then put some neosporin on it..
Good luck to you and hugs to him!! ?

and maggie3fan said he looks dry. I do too.
She is very wise. I would listen to her recommendations.!! Also.....
How can a cut be there one minute ... and then gone the next???
Are you sure the scales didn’t just flip back down? Is one of them loose? Does it flip back up and underneath there is the cut??
Make sure or you could end up with a bigger problem (infection) than you started out with....
again... good luck my dear....?
 
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