Shell issue
- Thread starter Lawhale
- Start date
Ouch! That's quite the injury. How did it happen? Dog? @Yvonne G is good with first aid. You'll need to keep the wound clean and prevent infection.
That's the frustrating thing... he is all by himself in a plastic kiddie pool. We have no other animals and he is on an enclosed lanai. When I cleaned the area there were pieces of his substrate (sand and organic coconut husk bedding) in the wound and one piece was in there pretty good. I have put some triple antibiotic ointment on it and he is in a different box with just his half log.
How enclosed? Can birds get in? Could be he was picked up and dropped from a high height (how birds kill baby turtles to get at their insides).
Sounds like you're doing what I would do to keep the wound clean.
Sounds like you're doing what I would do to keep the wound clean.
That is a chew injury. Some type of critter has tried to eat that baby. I guess you're going to have to cover the habitat with wire or netting when he's out there from now on. I don't think it was a bird, as they generally go for the middle of the plastron. Probably a rat, raccoon or opossum. So the cover you make will have to be pretty sturdy.
Sprinkle on some styptic powder to 'cauterize' the wound, then treat it with antibiotic ointment. It might also be a good idea to take him to the vet to get a round of antibiotic injections to be sure he doesn't get an infection. Bites like that are easy for the tortoise to recover from, however an infection can kill him. Don't let flies lay eggs on it.
Sprinkle on some styptic powder to 'cauterize' the wound, then treat it with antibiotic ointment. It might also be a good idea to take him to the vet to get a round of antibiotic injections to be sure he doesn't get an infection. Bites like that are easy for the tortoise to recover from, however an infection can kill him. Don't let flies lay eggs on it.
