Help Cut on neck

[jpdhld]

Last night we noticed Jewel has a cut the top of her neck we can only see it when she stretches he neck all the way out...it's does not look to bad right now but I am worried about it getting infected...i don't know what caused it either if she could of hit it on her shell. ...any thoughts on how to treat this so it does not get infected?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Heather:

That's a common spot for an injury on a tortoise...and it's a very hard spot to heal because of the continuous movement of the tortoise's head and neck. You can dab on a bit of NeoSporin or any antibiotic ointment.

Feel the edge of the carapace above the neck in this spot and see if the shell es especially sharp there. If it is, you can take a bit of emery cloth and gently sand the edge to a more soft shape. Take care to only sand the very edge, don't move up into the 'quick' of the shell.

You can also tear off a thin strip of duct tape and tape along the edge where the wound occurred, leaving the tape there until the neck is healed.

 

[jpdhld]

Thanks!