Emergency: Please Help : (

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TommyVT05

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I found my tortoise yesturday in the morning, and he was flipped over, I immediately went over to turn him around and spot that something musta been trying to eat him. His two front paw has scratch marks, one is bleeding too while the other one had VERY soft skin, feels like a mouse of something wanted to dig in.

I am unsure, but right away, I brought him in for first aid. Used Peroxide to clean out the cuts, and just wrapped his paw in band aid.
He seems fine today, but...is there something I can do to help aid his healing?

Poor little guy.

- Tommy
 

Tatooineboy

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I dont know much about tortoise first aid, but I would encourage you to strength the tort's enclosure. Whatever creature tried to get in could try once more and further injury your animals :(

Best of luck.
 

Itort

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I'd keep him on a sterile surface until the wounds scab over well and then keep him on substrat that fine and/or soft until he develops a good calus on the injury. Keep wounds clean and keep up with antiseptic treatment. Tortoises seem to recover well from these kind of injuries. And as was said tighten up enclosure. Use the security measures such as you use for your poultry as a guide, they are threatened by the predators.
 

TommyVT05

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My enclosure is fairly well off. I had tortoises for over 6 months now and neither of the 6 had problems until now. I think its a problem if mice and rats lately. I have caught a bunch by me neighbors backyard, lured over by chicken feed I think.

I will keep a closer look this time for sure to see if its a bird or a mammal. I will keep you posted. He seems good today, out and walking around. Just hope he's ok : (
I feel terrrible

- Tommy
 

Crazy1

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Tommy I know you think it might be mice or Rats, and it could be a preditor, or it could be the other large male. If he flipped the little one he may be bitting at him which could have caused his wounds. Do watch and make sure there is no agression going on between them. Even a small male will threaten a larger one especially if it is just coming into mating size (testosterone and all that male stuff, ya know). If it is something like Mice or Rats you may have to make a secure pen to house them in at night that has mesh small enought for the rodents not to enter and/or get a ratter, (dog or cat to chase them away). Good luck Keep us informed.
 

TommyVT05

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I sure will.

They got along fine, for 6 months, so there is no reason to show aggression now. Besides, all are so fairly young and small, they are only like a 5 year old in relation to humans right now so mating is like, out of the blue. Haha.
Well, I will keep u posted!

Thanks for all the tips!

PS: Are wound cleansers and topical things that we "humans" use to aid healing and scaring, will that be ok to give to them at a lower concentration?

- Tommy
 

Itort

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The wounds you describe sound like peroxide or betadine should work fine. What you are trying to do keep the wound clean. How do you protect your poultry from rats and other rodents ? I know in my case the brooder house has metal sheathing around the base. You probably may want to try that around the torts.
 

SULCATACRAZY

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How big are your torts? How heavy? I cant imagine a rat or a mouse being able to flip a tort over (unless they are really small, but then i'd be too afraid to leave them outside unsupervised) Good luck sorting it out. And yes, the topicals will be fine. I even use triple biotic on my birds if they get into a fight, and they preen themselves :)
 

TommyVT05

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Yeah,

I have used peroxide on the fellow and I feel terrible using it because he twitches a lot. Shows how much it stings, but its only good because it kills all the harmful bacteria in there and prevents infections. Poor little guy.

The enclosure for ALL the tortoises is really well built. The height of the wooden boards are about 2.5 feet off the ground in a square shape, backed up with 3 ft. of chicken wire, so it could only be something small that got it. I check on them daily at dusk to make sure they are all inside their heated home at night.

Inside, I have light activated LEDs so the inside is well lit at night to ward off predators but dim enough for the tortoises to sleep right.

I care for and love them all very much, but things happen. : (
I will "remedicate" him tomorrow after finals. : )
A lot to stress for right now...

- Tommy
 
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