Need ideas for box turtle pond

ZenHerper

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Some science about Copaiba oil...is short, there was a distinct anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect at the higher study dose, but the rats' livers were also damaged over the 18-day course of the study:


Again, exercise caution even with short-term use.
 

jeff kushner

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I've been watching this thread, afraid to "step on" the very much needed flow of information as it transpired over the days since you 1st posted the abscess on the 28th......

Barber, we all hope for success for you and your little guy.....but I also wanted to remind you how lucky you are......

The advice and care info you have received is Zoo quality........you won't find better talent, well, anywhere online!

Sometimes big-in-their-own-right people stand in awe of others, as I do.........very cool!

jeff
 

Barber25

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I've been watching this thread, afraid to "step on" the very much needed flow of information as it transpired over the days since you 1st posted the abscess on the 28th......

Barber, we all hope for success for you and your little guy.....but I also wanted to remind you how lucky you are......

The advice and care info you have received is Zoo quality........you won't find better talent, well, anywhere online!

Sometimes big-in-their-own-right people stand in awe of others, as I do.........very cool!

jeff
I am AMAZED at the number of people out there who care about and love their turtles/tortoises, etc. I have realized how much "work" there can be in properly taking care of these wonderful critters, even when there are no problems. The forums are full of accidents, injuries, losses, sex confusions, food confusion, lighting confusion, etc...it can be somewhat comical, somewhat daunting....I had no idea, when I wanted to capture a piece of my youth where I would find box turtles in my back yard in Neptune, NJ, the adventure (and hard work!) that would be in store for me! But, like you said, the most amazing thing to me is the level of caring, sharing, and Knowledge of many many people on this forum.

I did order some of the vitamins, supplements, etc...why do thes people ? who are they? put stickers over the ingredients/directions of these items? The print is already so small and hard to read, and now half of it is covered by a sticker that cant be removed? Kiwi was spending pretty much all day in her water basin...now over the last few days, she is in her "hide" and barely moves. Dont know if this is a positive step or not. Still has not eaten anything for a week. i am embarresed to admit a total screw up where I , in a state of post covid overly stressed confusion put the vitamin eye drops in her eyes instead of her mouth.. Yes...that was stupid..I immediately rinsed under the faucet, and she didnt react and seems to have no ill effects..Im hoping they have a protective eye covering . I do thank all of you for your help and knowledge and caring...for those of you who find a good local vet, you need to appreciate that also, as I dont think its as common as it should be
 

mark1

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my opinion is you need to get her back outside ...... confine her to a smaller area of her pen so you can find her ....... if you have electric near her pen provide her with a source of heat she can find , a heat lamp, che ...........if she isn't eating and acting normal outside soon i'd think about not leaving he out for the winter ......
 

Barber25

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I had been thinking of how to block off a portion...something like concrete blocks would work...I do have alot of dead stumps and wood that might work too
 

ZenHerper

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Yes...not only is she not packing on fat, she's burning calories.

Have you been soaking her with baby food fruits & vege?

How is the incision healing?
 

Barber25

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Yes...not only is she not packing on fat, she's burning calories.

Have you been soaking her with baby food fruits & vege?

How is the incision healing?
insision looks fine, but still swollen..she was soaking pretty much 24/7...only last day or so has stopped...she wont open mouth to be force fed....i put out a mixture of food, but the only thing she always seemed to go after was worms..but if there's pain to chew, that might be the issue
 

ZenHerper

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If she will eat worms, then let her. Some nutrition is waaaay better than none and worms are a good choice. Does your pet store keep live wax worms or live black soldier fly larvae? Try those as well. They're both soft...wax worms have a good fat content, and the BSF larvae are high protein and calcium.

Baby foods are great to add to soak water...carrot, fruit, string bean, etc.. She can absorb some nutrients and sugars that are dissolved in the water. Raw honey (buckwheat is the most varied and strongest antioxidant content) is great for energy and disinfection of the mouth when she drinks.

You might try giving her a thin layer of substrate...something like fir bark that you rinsed the dust off. If she burrows, she won't get her head under, but she may feel more Natural and hidden. The bark chips will help you hold and release water for humidity.
 

Barber25

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If she will eat worms, then let her. Some nutrition is waaaay better than none and worms are a good choice. Does your pet store keep live wax worms or live black soldier fly larvae? Try those as well. They're both soft...wax worms have a good fat content, and the BSF larvae are high protein and calcium.

Baby foods are great to add to soak water...carrot, fruit, string bean, etc.. She can absorb some nutrients and sugars that are dissolved in the water. Raw honey (buckwheat is the most varied and strongest antioxidant content) is great for energy and disinfection of the mouth when she drinks.

You might try giving her a thin layer of substrate...something like fir bark that you rinsed the dust off. If she burrows, she won't get her head under, but she may feel more Natural and hidden. The bark chips will help you hold and release water for humidity.
Great ideas..i believe the lack of substrate is an issue and now I understand what you're saying about the baby food soak
 

Barber25

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skin looks bleached out...not so thin and papery..returning to normal..surgery site looks puffy, insision looks fine, the "bump" is alot smaller, hopefully will continue to shrink..her right side ear looks really good...she seems active and alert ...eyes look fine..having a soak

going to get aubstrate to put about a 1/4 inch down, getting baby food, worms...in a few days i will consider putting her back in outdoor enclosure...with some modifications
 

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ZenHerper

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I like that alert "expectant" look on her face - much more natural and less "headachy".

Yes, her skin looks more hydrated (stress really burns the water out of reptiles).

Keep up your attentive care!
 

Barber25

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the worm has been spied...
 

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Barber25

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After I got rid of the coil bulbs and used the long Bulb, like the one in the picture, I had a hard time getting the temperature even up to 70゚... and I had to use the mister extensively to get the humidity up.... Since the bulb doesn't give off much heat I tried the space heater ...I had read that 1 way to get a turtle to eat is get the temperature up to about 80゚ Since of course heat rises, this is the contraption I came up with... She is sitting under the Box enshrouded in mist...
 

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ZenHerper

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She definitely needs heat to run her immune system and to heal, in addition to taking an interest in food.

Since she was recently outdoors, the uvb radiation is optional...a good overhead incandescent bulb or smaller che for basking is what you need. Using a thin layer of wetted fir chips will solve the humidity.

But good engineering! lol We should have contests...
 

Barber25

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She definitely needs heat to run her immune system and to heal, in addition to taking an interest in food.

Since she was recently outdoors, the uvb radiation is optional...a good overhead incandescent bulb or smaller che for basking is what you need. Using a thin layer of wetted fir chips will solve the humidity.

But good engineering! lol We should have contests...
gotta be careful...I left the space heater on low, and when I checked back after a few hours, it was 100°...the good news is she scampered into her hide..where it was exactly 80°..it scared me though
 

Barber25

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FINALLY.. I bought some worms, some nightcrawlers, she'd go up to them, look at them, but never took a bite... they got a little covered with dirt and substrate so I dropped him in her water dish.... they crawled out and were hiding behind it (roasting in the 100゚) When I took the water dish to change the water I put her over by the 2 crawlers... there and finally she is doing some snacking ! maybe she just needed the worm slightly cooked ?
 

ZenHerper

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gotta be careful...I left the space heater on low, and when I checked back after a few hours, it was 100°...the good news is she scampered into her hide..where it was exactly 80°..it scared me though
Yeah, that's why a calibrated set up is so important.

The good news: her metabolic organs have signaled to her stomach and brain that its time to EAT!

Congrats!
 

Barber25

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ok..some updates and some possibly unusual questions

still dont think shes started eating...faked me out a little with a worm...part of it was gone, but I dont know if it was eaten or trampled ....I moved her indoor enclosure into the furnace room, it a bout 5 degrees warmer due to the pipes from the hot water heat...the house is usually low humidity due to the hot water heat, but the furnace room seems to be about 70%

the location also has an arm for a bulb, but niw it seems that they dont sell the incadesant bulbs anymore...the LEDs dont seem to generate much heat, and the halogens are so hot Im afraid to use them.... I spoke to the vet today and talked about respiratory infections loss of appetite is us of appetite the healing of the surgery is surgery and the approach of colder weather I could potentially put her back out in her enclosure but since I don't believe she's eaten hardly anything I'm running out of time because temperatures at night have been down into the fifties also git's also got results back from the parasite test from the parasite test and he said there was moderate Evidence of trichomonis
He is reluctant to treat treat the parasites because it would of course clean out the gut.. He said to err on the side of more humidity rather than low but based on what he sees if she doesn't start eating may have they have to give her some antibiotics potentially for respiratory infection although I've seen no signs( bubbling from the nose for example.).. And now some strange questions I've got a water machine that creates this 2.5 acid water that you can drink you can spray it in your eye my kids have flushed their noses with it it's very effective supposedly the Japanese use it at their hospitals and it's completely safe but it kills all viruses and germs I've never done it but I thought "I wonder if you could put that in your C-pap if you had like a lung infection and it would kill the bugs without affecting your tissue"? I know some people do stuff with H202 and even drink it I was wondering if you could put something like that in your Mister And it could treat a respiratory infection .. obviously I haven't done it I'm just throwing out a idea... trying to be creative anyway I'm going to talk to the vet again Monday possibly bringing her in... he actually seemed intrigued by some of my wild ideas
 

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ZenHerper

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You lost me there a bit in the middle. But:

Halogen is blazing hot; LED lasts forever, in part, because it is cool.

Does the pet store keep any incandescent bulbs? Like this:


Otherwise you're looking for an incandescent flood bulb at the hardware store.

Hypochlorous water? Like these:


HW is effective against lots of microbes and even norovirus...so may have the ability to kill andenoviruses. I've never seen any contraindication in reptiles. It is a mild acid, so with constant contact and no rinsing between applications it can burn...use according to label instructions. I like it to spray substrate and to wipe down surfaces.

Try some reptile probiotics in the soaking water to try and keep the "good" gut flora population healthy:

If you don't have signs of active bacterial/fungal agents (thick snot, pus), antibiotics are only harmful. Even mild respiratory symptoms should be treated with adjustments to husbandry.

I hear ya on the lateness of the season. She's naturally starting to cool down mentally as our end of the planet tips back away from the sun, and that stops appetite. Judgement call as to what to do about going back outside...getting attached to individuals comes with a price! lol
 

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