Tortoise has possible cut on neck

[Kschoendorf]

Help my tortoise has a cut on her neck, recently acquired her from a shelter type place. What should I do to help or will it heal itself

 

[Ink]

@Yvonne G or @ZEROPILOT might be able to help. Could she have cut it on her shell? It looks rough around the edges.

 

[Kschoendorf]

That is possible a Dog Had Gotten to her

 

[Maro2Bear]

Yes, that shell area all about its neck is very very rough & I’ll bet sharp enough to damage that soft skin on the neck. I think i would take an emory board (yes, nail file) and slowly get rid of the sharp edges. Not all in in one go, but over a few days. Keep the cut clean as best u can.

 

[Yvonne G]

At first glance I thought it was a piece of substrate stuck to the skin, bit it may be a scab. After you file the rough edge of the shell, just leave the scab alone and let nature take it's course.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

There seems to be another tooth mark on the shell carapace a few inches over. And the damage to the front is from a dog also and NOT the cause of the neck injury.
If this was caused by a dog's teeth, And i think it all was, I'd suspect the neck "scratch" could actually be a fairly deep wound.
At the very least, I'd get some antibiotic cream on it asap.
Take a look underneath too. You'll probably find more tooth marks.

Its very important to never let any tortoise and ANY dog spend time together.
Even the most well behaved dog thinks a tortoise is a chew toy.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I guess we need a timeline of events.

When did the Dog grab the turtle & mangle & chew it up a bit?
What damages were noticed then?
Fast forward to today’s post. Is the neck wound/scab fairly recent? Or was it damaged during the encounter with the dog.

Either way really, a bit of filing on that jagged shell is needed. Need to keep the scab/wound from getting infected. It already looks scabbed over.

 

[Yvonne G]

. . . and for heaven sake, get that tortoise into a humid environment! The shell is showing signs of having lived in a pretty dry habitat.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

@Kschoendorf
Where in Florida are you located?
I'm in south eastern Florida and might be able to assist you in finding things to help out your Redfoot.
I have a lot of spares and equipment I'm not going to need

 

[Kschoendorf]

@Kschoendorf
Where in Florida are you located?
I'm in south eastern Florida and might be able to assist you in finding things to help out your Redfoot.
I have a lot of spares and equipment I'm not going to need

I am in fort myers area

 

[Kschoendorf]

. . . and for heaven sake, get that tortoise into a humid environment! The shell is showing signs of having lived in a pretty dry habitat.

How can I make it more humid? I spray the bedding with water frequently, but I guess I should do it more. I’m new to tortoise ownership, just got here recently after the hurricane

 

[Kschoendorf]

I guess we need a timeline of events.

When did the Dog grab the turtle & mangle & chew it up a bit?
What damages were noticed then?
Fast forward to today’s post. Is the neck wound/scab fairly recent? Or was it damaged during the encounter with the dog.

Either way really, a bit of filing on that jagged shell is needed. Need to keep the scab/wound from getting infected. It already looks scabbed over.

I am not sure when the dog got to her since I just got her from a wildlife rescue place, she was found after the hurricane and the previous owner surrendered her to a friend of mine and then I took over the care. She said that her dog got to her years ago and she put neosporin on the cuts on the shell and that was it. I don’t have much info about her. I just noticed the neck wound after I got her a week ago. I will file down the shell so it is not rough. I am getting her a bigger cage that will be better for her. I have to wait a few weeks to get it though.

 

[TammyJ]

That was some terrible hurricane. Fort Myers got it head on and full blast. Glad you are taking care of this tortoise. All the best!

 

[Yvonne G]

Pour water over the substrate instead of spraying. Plants help.too.