Helped a 3 stripe mud turtle, but have some questions

[DownByTheRiver]

5 days ago, I saw a small turtle that was just hit by a car, and took him home to fix his shell and take care of him. I used tegaderm to put his shell back together, and am keeping him in my garage in a rubbermaid container because the humidity in the garage is high. During the day it runs around 90 degrees, and at night its around 80, so it seemed perfect until I figured out what to do with him. I've been trying to get him to eat, but can't seem to get him to eat anything. I've tried mud turtle food both in a dry container and in water, but he doesn't seem interested. He's very feisty, and seems to have energy, but I cannot get him to eat. I put a live cricket in the water today and he couldn't care any less.

My girlfriend and I took him to the vet, but they knew very little. I'm wondering when him not eating is going to become a problem. We've decided to keep him because he seems to have a lot of personality, and stays out of his shell when we're around. We're working on getting him into a dedicated tank with some cover, but we're really concerned about him not eating. Can anyone help?

Attached are some pictures of him from the 1st day (the first one is pretty graphic). His other wounds have healed, but his shell will take a while, I'm sure. Thank you!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I don't remember anyone having a mud turtle of the top of my head, but @DoubleD1996! @mark1 or @Markw84 might be able to help.

Usually feeding live food might get their instincts going and get them to eat something. Try feeding something he might find in his natural habitat live if possible, like a worm or a snail.

 

[mark1]

5 days ago, I saw a small turtle that was just hit by a car, and took him home to fix his shell and take care of him. I used tegaderm to put his shell back together, and am keeping him in my garage in a rubbermaid container because the humidity in the garage is high. During the day it runs around 90 degrees, and at night its around 80, so it seemed perfect until I figured out what to do with him. I've been trying to get him to eat, but can't seem to get him to eat anything. I've tried mud turtle food both in a dry container and in water, but he doesn't seem interested. He's very feisty, and seems to have energy, but I cannot get him to eat. I put a live cricket in the water today and he couldn't care any less.

My girlfriend and I took him to the vet, but they knew very little. I'm wondering when him not eating is going to become a problem. We've decided to keep him because he seems to have a lot of personality, and stays out of his shell when we're around. We're working on getting him into a dedicated tank with some cover, but we're really concerned about him not eating. Can anyone help?

Attached are some pictures of him from the 1st day (the first one is pretty graphic). His other wounds have healed, but his shell will take a while, I'm sure. Thank you!

he is a water turtle , they spend most of their lives in water ..... he will likely only eat in the water ..... worms would be something good to try......

 

[DownByTheRiver]

Unfortunately I've tried to feed him the live cricket in water, and he had zero interest. I'll try a worm later today!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Unfortunately I've tried to feed him the live cricket in water, and he had zero interest. I'll try a worm later today!

Keep us updated!

 

[TammyJ]

@EppsDynasty

 

[DownByTheRiver]

Okay, so I fed him a small earthworm and he DEVOURED it! Whew. I fed him one more and figured it'd be best to let him digest that stuff first.

Now I need to turn my attention to the shell. Right now I have tegaderm holding the pieces together, and it doesn't look like it's coming off anytime soon. I know it's not a permanent solution, but it's really holding well right now, even in water. How long does it take for shells to heal, generally speaking?

 

[mark1]

the vet did put him on systemic antibiotics?

 

[DownByTheRiver]

the vet did put him on systemic antibiotics?

No, just gave us pain medicine. The vet frankly didn't know much about turtles, so we didn't administer it. They were googling things, and didn't know what kind of turtle it was at first.

He's very active at this point, which makes me feel better for sure.

 

[mark1]

antibiotics would be a really good idea....... fortaz/ceftazidime injectable......

 

[DownByTheRiver]

antibiotics would be a really good idea....... fortaz/ceftazidime injectable......

We're leaving tomorrow on vacation and we're going to bring him with us. We'll check with a vet in the area where we're going.

What should I watch out for in the meantime?

 

[mark1]

keep him as unstressed as possible...the vet flushed it out good before they closed it ?. the shell could use a more stable fix, epoxy fiberglass, i've seen jb weld used..... best to have someone who has done it before do it..... be sure the shell is butted up tight and you don't get the epoxy in the break.......