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.......

 

[EppsDynasty]

Acrylic .... just like on finger nails. Jb weld can heat up and burn the place of adhesion, then damage that as well. The big thing to worry about with acrylic is the fumes, use a fan to blow fresh air blowing the fumes away from the face. There is a thread where we fixed a Desert Tortoise Plastron...

North American Tortoises (genus Gopherus)

Desert, Texas, and Gopher tortoises

tortoiseforum.org

You will need to make supports to 'Bridge The Break' not cover it. I'm not sure it can be due to the severity. I'm not an expert or vet though, the antibiotics and other suggestions sound great. check out the thread and let us know what you think.

 

[EppsDynasty]

as @mark1 mentioned The stress is a BIG deal ... it won't work if it becomes to stressed no matter what you do.

 

[Moozillion]

I have had mud turtles and have one now. When I've had serious medical problems with my turtles, I've had the best success with either an AVIAN (bird!) vet or our state's veterinary school. Vet schools often have specialists. Birds and turtles have a lot in common, apparently. So avian vets are likely to be able to help more than a general vet.
I've never had a turtle with the problems this one has, though. I wish I had experience and wisdom to share, but I don't.
@Markw84 might have some good suggestions!
Best wishes,
Mooz

 

[Moozillion]

Oh, WOW- I just saw you live in Florida! I bet your vet school has reptile specialists!
The vet schools almost always have regular clinics where people can bring their pets, so the advanced students get some practice UNDER THE SUPERVISION of the specialist vets. I found that our school clinic did not charge any differently than a regular vet.
I live in Louisiana, so we're practically neighbors!

 

[DownByTheRiver]

Thank you everyone for the advice so far! It's very helpful. I was the one who put the tegaderm on, and I did clean the wound with saline solution before sealing it up. I've been pretty amazed at how long the tegaderm has worked, but I know it's not permanent. His wound seems to have healed where the skin meets the shell, so I don't believe anything is getting in there.

Acrylic .... just like on finger nails. Jb weld can heat up and burn the place of adhesion, then damage that as well. The big thing to worry about with acrylic is the fumes, use a fan to blow fresh air blowing the fumes away from the face. There is a thread where we fixed a Desert Tortoise Plastron...

North American Tortoises (genus Gopherus)

Desert, Texas, and Gopher tortoises

tortoiseforum.org

You will need to make supports to 'Bridge The Break' not cover it. I'm not sure it can be due to the severity. I'm not an expert or vet though, the antibiotics and other suggestions sound great. check out the thread and let us know what you think.

The link takes me to the tortoise forum itself, not a particular thread, unfortunately. I've begun using this thread:

Broken Shell

(First option should always be TAKE YOUR ANIMAL TO THE VET!) FILLING IN THE CRACKS… SHELL FRACTURES IN TURTLES by DR SHANE SIMPSON ( Dr Shane Simpson BVSc (Hons), GCM(VP), CMAVA Karingal Veterinary Hospital 328 Cranbourne Road, Frankston, Victoria, 3199 P: 9789 3444 F: 9776 6127 E...

tortoiseforum.org

To provide treatment. We're going to try and find a competent vet on our trip for some antibiotics, as we're driving and taking him with us. We were left with no choice at this point, so the best I can do is to take care of him as well as I can. He's active and eating, and we've been keeping him dry overall. There's been a stark difference in how he acted the first 2 days as opposed to now. He's very lively, and we've gotten a heat lamp and UVB setup for him, so things will hopefully be even better for him soon. I fed him briefly in the water yesterday, so I don't foresee him needing to eat for a few more days, unless someone has advice otherwise (should I wait until he poops?). Luckily, the vet did know to have us keep him dry, except for shallow water lower than the wound occasionally to feed/rehydrate, so it sounds like we've been on the right track.

Some questions:

1. Will it be less stress to cover the walls of the (dry) clear tank we got him to travel, or should he be able to see through it?
2. We put a hollow log in his tank so he can hide in. Should I use anything else?
3. How else can we reduce stress? His tank will be on a foam pad so the car vibrations aren't as bad.

Thank you again to everyone!

 

[EppsDynasty]

@DownByTheRiver ... The thread is 'White Flesh' in the Desert Tort area, sorry not a technology person.
You will want to 'block' out the sides to eliminate further stress. A more knowledgeable person would know the answer to this but I believe your turtle needs water to eat.
I would continue to look for a competent vet until I found 1, then reassess the direction to go in.

 

[DownByTheRiver]

@DownByTheRiver ... The thread is 'White Flesh' in the Desert Tort area, sorry not a technology person.
You will want to 'block' out the sides to eliminate further stress. A more knowledgeable person would know the answer to this but I believe your turtle needs water to eat.
I would continue to look for a competent vet until I found 1, then reassess the direction to go in.

Thanks, I'll check that thread out. I picked up some wrap for the tank, and yes, my experience is that he would only eat when in water, and it was only worms when he did.

 

[EppsDynasty]

I will help in any way I can, any questions you may have please ask. My wife and I run a Non Profit Rescue and our number is public so I have no problem giving it to you here (760)499-4723. If you have a question and need a faster answer or think we may be able to help don't hesitate to call. We all want this to go the best possible way ... A happy and long life free from any suffering!