Painted turtle

[barroncourtney45]

Male painted turtle

Hi ive had my turtle for about a month and he has always had a bumb on the left side of his head. I never thought it was to serious since it doesnt seem to affect him. I was just wondering if any of you know maybe what it is? He is about 6 inches long. I dont know how old he is though. Thanks so much. He was not happy i took him away from basking for the pics ;p

 

[nearpass]

RE: Male painted turtle

It looks like he has a massive bilateral ear infection...the other side looks very swollen, too. A qualified vet could probably lance and drain it. Is he eating? Is he wild caught?

 

[barroncourtney45]

Re: Male painted turtle

Yes he is eating thats why i wasnt worried. He acts completly fine. He has had it ever since i have had him. Im not sure if he is wild caught. I got him from petsmart. Actually a friend gave him to me. Is this going to harm him if i dont take him in soon? or will it maybe eventually go away?

 

[diamondbp]

Male painted turtle

It may eventually subside but it should be lanced and drained. If your never done this I recommend a vet doing it.

 

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Male painted turtle

Judging by its size, probably something thats not gonna get better, possibly get worse. It eventually can cause some turtles to stop eating. So you wanna have it taken care of and not let it go.

 

[mike taylor]

Re: Male painted turtle

This is a problem that needs attention . A vet will have to give you meds for the infection and drain .

 

[barroncourtney45]

Re: Male painted turtle

Ok thank you everyone. Do you know aproximatly how much it will cost?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Male painted turtle

After you have a vet take care of it be sure to keep the turtle in very clean water . Good luck at the vet and God bless

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Male painted turtle

You can call and ask your vet what it will cost to lance an ear abscess on a turtle. They should be able to give you a ball park figure. If it costs too much, ask if you can make payments.

If you have a turtle rescue in your area, they might do it for you for free. It's really quite easy.

But please get it lanced as soon as you can. Besides that big bump you see on the outside, it is also on the inside, and it inhibits his swallowing.

 

[barroncourtney45]

Re: Male painted turtle

Ok thank you. Im going to try and go this week.

 

[Jacqui]

RE: Male painted turtle

Might take some pictures (if the Vet and the turtle allow it), so others can see what it looks like cleaned out and the huge amount of gunk that will be coming out.

 

[barroncourtney45]

Re: Male painted turtle

Alright ill try my best to

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Male painted turtle

Keep us posted. Hoping the little recovers fast for you .

 

[barroncourtney45]

Hello. So a couple days ago i took my painted turtle (red) to the vet. He has a mass on the side of his head and i didnt know what it was. It turns out it is a absess. He needs antibiotics and surgery for it. We asked about the pricing for it and its very expensive. All together it would be about $600 or a little more. Thats when the heartbreaking news came. We left the vet and were talking about it and we just cant afford that. Im hoping it will go away on its own but i dont know. I may have to give him up. I love him so much and i dont wanna see him go but i dont want him to be in pain and me not beable to do anything about it. I also dont know if there is anyone out there willing to take this turtle and care for him knowing the possible price. If anybody has any advice on what to do or if this will possibly get better on its own or anything please share. Thanks

 

[Anthony P]

It WILL NOT go away on it's own. I am very surprised to hear this price though! The removal of an ear abscess is a common "surgery" for a common turtle ailment. The area needs to be lanced, which is why it should be performed by a qualified vet, but I am thinking there may be a vet out there that can give you a better price. That's rough..

 

[kathyth]

I'm so sorry to hear that. My guess is that it will not resolve o. It's own. If I was rich, I would send you the money.
Is there any chance that the vet has a heart and would allow you to make monthly payments / finance the procedure?
I remember seeing his picture recently.

I sure hope this works out for both if you! You obviously love your turtle.

❤️❤️

 

[barroncourtney45]

Ok thank you. I will try other vets in my area and see if i can get any other offers. The vet i went to said the antibiotics were about 250-300 and the surgery was about the same.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

My hearts breaks for you and your turtle. That does seem high. You can also call local wildlife rehab centers they may know of a good Vet.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

WHAT!?!?!

I've been a vet tech for 20 years, I've never heard of prices so high for an ear abscess. That's rediculous.

Should be more like $30-50 for the exam, $10-25 for the antibiotics (depending on drug choice), $25-35 for sedation, and maybe $25-50 for the lance and would clean/debridement.

Definitely call around. Did they give you a written, itemized estimate? I'd sure like to see it.
Where are you? Maybe I know DVMs in your area what would help.

 

[mike taylor]

I'm with Sandy on this one . I would not ever go back to that vet! For everything it should only be 150/200 at the most . Where are you there is a good reptilian vet here in Kingwood Texas that can do it and not rob you .