How to treat bite wounds?

junglejill

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Hi All! Well, I've gotten another rescue... Rosie. Someone found this sweetie in the woods. And took her home to live with their male box turtle. Bad news... She has several bites on her legs and rear end. When they realized what was happening and knew they couldn't keep her they called me. I JUST brought her home so I haven't looked her over too thoroughly. The first thing I wanted to do was get some heat on her. And wanted her to be able to relax some. Provided I don't see any signs of infection, I was planning on soaking her in some warm/tepid water for a few minutes. Then apply iodine to the wounds. Please let me know if there is anything I should or shouldn't do. If the wounds look infected I'll take her to the vet for sure. I think the bites are 2-3 days old but I'm not certain.

Her beak seems long too.

Also, I'm assuming this is a Russian. Any thoughts on that to verify?
Thank you as always!

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Tom

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Iodine is pretty harsh stuff. Might be better to use some triple antibiotic.

Definitely a russian.
 

Yvonne G

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Keep her temporarily in a smaller hospital tank and warm her up to at least 80F degrees. Soak her daily for at least a half hour. Add either a few drops of liquid bird vitamins or half a jar of carrots baby food to the soaking water. Allow her to be in quiet, dark spot (heat could be achieved by using a CHE (ceramic heat emitter).
 

junglejill

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Thanks Yvonne. I presently have her in a smaller plastic box. Lined with paper towels. And have a heating pad under half of it so there is a variation in temps on either side. I also have a small bulb on over... Maybe a 40 watt light bulb... I turned it off last night and put a towel over the box to keep the heat in. But you think dark is better? How long should I keep it dark? I soaked her today. I think it was a good thing because it cleaned the wounds out but it also made the one on her rear bleed :(. Can I purée my own carrots? I'm assuming this is for her to get nutrients if she drinks while in the water?
 

junglejill

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I did put Triple Antibiotic ointment on the wounds after I soaked her. Any helpful hints on trimming her beak? Also, she smells. I can kind of see something reddish brown in the creases up in her leg joints. Not sure if that's supposed to be there or could be some kind of fungus or something? I just know that the smell is abnormal for sure. Any advice? THANKS!
 

Carol S

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Poor tortoise. The bite on her rear end looks the worst. When one of my Russian tortoises was injured the vet gave me a blue colored solution that I mixed with warm water and soaked my tortoise in it for a number of days to help prevent infection. After soaking I put on what I believe was Silvadene Cream. I hope she gets well soon.
 

leigti

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I would rinse all the wounds off as good as you can then apply Betadine once. More than that would probably do more damage than good. After that I would apply antibiotic After you soak her daily.
 

dmmj

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maybe we should tag this so people can see what happened with male and female when kept together in pairs. basic first aid should be ok I'm worried about the smell though
 

leigti

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It may already be infected. I would give the entire tortoise a good bath. Then I would take it to the vet tomorrow. I wouldn't wait till Monday.
 

AnimalLady

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maybe we should tag this so people can see what happened with male and female when kept together in pairs. basic first aid should be ok I'm worried about the smell though

I don't think that's the case here.. she said that the previous owners had her housed with a box turtle?
 

junglejill

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I don't think that's the case here.. she said that the previous owners had her housed with a box turtle?
Yes. They put her in with a box turtle. In fact, I'm not even sure this Russian is a female yet. I haven't checked. :) however, the box turtle did some damage, that's for sure.
 

dmmj

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box turtle can be very nasty sometimes. Did they know she was being bitten or not?
 
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