Release of Injured painted turtle MN

[Cam]

long time no post

Thursday I was driving down a local busy road & saw an upside down turtle.
Picked him up and although bleeding from the face was still alive but lethargic.

Brought him home asked for help from local herp society member (who was very helpful).

He is a MN Painted Turtle (I think a male) about 5 inches long, cut is completely through the upper face in front of the left eye (the eye is missing), no other external damage seen.
He has not eaten (not surprised).

He is healing (but still bleeding from the cut a bit). Now when I picked him up to check him over he peed, hissed, scratched etc

before he was too lethargic to struggle.

i was told to release him in the pond nbear where I found him. Unfortunately there are several marshy areas to choose from and one pond...everything is on private property, no-one seems to want anything released into their property.

We have 2 ponds near our house with turtle populations.
Could I release him there? Or will he die trying to get 'home'?
Shoulsd the release be am or pm?
SUnny rainy?
etc...
thanks everyone!!!

 

[Itort]

I would release him in the evening in one of your local ponds. He'll most likely stay there. I have released water turtle into new (to them) ponds and they have remained there. They are not really tied to a particular territory like a box.

 

[Cam]

Thank you for your fast reply.

I am balancing the fact he is still bleeding a bit with the fact he hasn't really swam (becasue the water in the tank just covers his shell) or eaten since Thursday and I feel he needs to get back to what he knows rather than being stressed in this new weird environment...or is that wrong???

Should I just place him at the edge of the water?

Sorry, never had a turtle around before...they sure are cool!

The Herp Soc person thought he would fare fine as long as he had one good eye and no signs of infection.
I did not put on the Neosporin today to see if there were any changes.

Thanks again...

I would release him in the evening in one of your local ponds. He'll most likely stay there. I have released water turtle into new (to them) ponds and they have remained there. They are not really tied to a particular territory like a box.

 

[Itort]

Try putting him in a bucket of water deeper than he long and see if he dives and swims (this just to test, so temporary). I would keep him until the bleeding stops and wound closes up. Just a note, water turtles must be able to submerge to eat, so feed in water deep enough for this.

 

[Cam]

Try putting him in a bucket of water deeper than he long and see if he dives and swims (this just to test, so temporary). I would keep him until the bleeding stops and wound closes up. Just a note, water turtles must be able to submerge to eat, so feed in water deep enough for this.

Oh NOOOOOO I had no Idea he had to submerge...
Thank you!!!!

 

[Itort]

What have you tried to feed him ? Earthworms are a good start. By the way, he is a western painted turtle. I used to live south of the Twin Cities in Eagan and as a child had many of these guys (I collected them much to my mothers dismay).

 

[Jacqui]

What are you trying to get him to eat?

LOL nothing like getting called away, come back and finish your posting only to find somebody else asked the same thing.

I too was going to suggest the worms.

Think for the second edit I will add this: You might try doing a little dry docking to see if it helps the bleeding to stop. Putting meds on and then placing back into the water, normally only washes away the meds. Also with the messes turtles normally make in their water, the water won't stay too sanitary for long.

 

[Cam]

Okay, I re arranged his 'quarters'. He dives and swims and maneuvers very well
I have minnows from the pet store, gray and the orange ones.
I have Turtle floating food sticks, turtle treats (dreid shrimp) and the froezen cubes of tutle food...no worm yet.
Do you just put the worm in the water? Does the worm swim?

Thanks fort the species ID too...us moms get over the kid's 'collections'...now i am the one bringing stuff home.
The spouse dubbed it Road Kill Rescue...

What have you tried to feed him ? Earthworms are a good start. By the way, he is a western painted turtle. I used to live south of the Twin Cities in Eagan and as a child had many of these guys (I collected them much to my mothers dismay).

 

[Cam]

What is dry docking?
for the first two days he was in 1/2 dry and 1/2 water that only came up to his armpits.
I added the water to just over his shell on Saturday.
Yeah, when I put on the Neosporin he wipes it off with his front arm.

Today the wound looks like it is starting to heal.
There is a dangling bit of healing skin that he keeps 'nipping' at like it's bugging him.

Wish I spoke Turt!

Thanks again!!!!

What are you trying to get him to eat?

LOL nothing like getting called away, come back and finish your posting only to find somebody else asked the same thing.

I too was going to suggest the worms.

Think for the second edit I will add this: You might try doing a little dry docking to see if it helps the bleeding to stop. Putting meds on and then placing back into the water, normally only washes away the meds. Also with the messes turtles normally make in their water, the water won't stay too sanitary for long.

 

[Itort]

No, worms don't swim they just wiggle around on the bottom. He will eat the minnows but he will have learn to compensate the loss of an eye. I can't say if he recognize the turtle food as such, my maps did on day two, so just a little at a time to start. Do't make his enclosure too busy because you will be cleaning it out often. Dry docking would be taking him out of water, letting him dry, applying medicine and letting that dry, and then putting him back in water.Post some pics if you can.

 

[Jacqui]

I am gonna make a guess he won't go for the pellets. He may not be able to catch the minnows, so might try one dead. The worms will wiggle until they finally drown. Might help him find it if it's wiggling. Might also put a green leaf of one of your lettuces to float on the top. A water hyacinth is normally relished more. Just thinking, if it's an adult, it may be more into the plant eating stage.

Dry docking like you were told is simply keeping him for a short time out of the water. It's used a lot for injuries and shell rot, ect.., Most folks just normally do it at night. They treat them and leave them in a warm, dark, and quiet location inside something as simple as a plastic container. Doesn't have to be very large. Think of it like his bed. We want him to stay calm, quiet and recuperate. Tight lids are a good idea, in case he gets tipped over or climbs out. For slow animals water turtles sure can move when they desire. Some folks leave the container empty, some use paper towels, a few even use towels. I worry about towels and claws getting caught in them myself.

The dangling piece of skin may need to be cut off. Much rather have it cut, then him catch it and tear more of his face trying to get it off.

 

[Cam]

Okay, trying to post pics...it's been a while since I did this.

 

[Cam]

Is romaine lettuce okay?
What would I cut off the stray skin with? I have really sharp nail scissors I could disinfect.

also, should I wash with the betadine again? I was worried since it so close to his eye...or the eye he used to have I should say.

I am gonna make a guess he won't go for the pellets. He may not be able to catch the minnows, so might try one dead. The worms will wiggle until they finally drown. Might help him find it if it's wiggling. Might also put a green leaf of one of your lettuces to float on the top. A water hyacinth is normally relished more. Just thinking, if it's an adult, it may be more into the plant eating stage.

Dry docking like you were told is simply keeping him for a short time out of the water. It's used a lot for injuries and shell rot, ect.., Most folks just normally do it at night. They treat them and leave them in a warm, dark, and quiet location inside something as simple as a plastic container. Doesn't have to be very large. Think of it like his bed. We want him to stay calm, quiet and recuperate. Tight lids are a good idea, in case he gets tipped over or climbs out. For slow animals water turtles sure can move when they desire. Some folks leave the container empty, some use paper towels, a few even use towels. I worry about towels and claws getting caught in them myself.

The dangling piece of skin may need to be cut off. Much rather have it cut, then him catch it and tear more of his face trying to get it off.

 

[Jacqui]

Just thinking as I am sitting here looking at the pictures, that it may even be better for him if he doesn't eat for a few days. Since he was found upside down on a road we are assuming he and a vehicle of some sort had a unpleasant meeting. We know he had major trauma and it was to the head. He may be showing no other damage, but he may have some internal problems. A few days without food and a lot of quiet rest could be the best for him.

 

[Jacqui]

Romaine would work. It's more just to see if he will eat and it seems romaine is often the preferred food by many turtles as far as greens go (atleast around here thats true). Worry about nutrition more once he is eating (once more just my opinion)

If it were me, yep I would disinfect the scissors and snip it. We don't need him doing further damage.

Does it ever stop bleeding/draining?