URGENT HELP! Injured red-eared slider

flem363636

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A friend of mine rescued this today and would like to keep and rehab it. My experience is in giant tortoises and I don't know anything about shell injuries. Any advice regarding injuries and habitat would be hugely appreciated!!!!!!IMG_6584.jpegIMG_6585.jpegIMG_6583.jpeg
 

wccmog10

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It’s hard to tell everything from the photos, but I would start with flushing the wound with water, then applying betadine once or twice daily. Antibiotics may be needed depending on how bad the injury is. If you’re lucky is just some scratches and keeping the wound clean may be all that is needed. Turtles are pretty resilient with this sort of damage. I’ve seen all sorts of injuries heal on their own, turtles missing legs, parts of shells, etc.

Is any of the shell broken? It’s hard to tell in the first and second photos if the plastron is actually broken, or just gouged (from the gular to the bridge area).
 

dmmj

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looks like the poor thing was chewed on for quite a while. As long as there are only surface wounds and no broken shell I would keep it in clean water, Betadine apply probably daily and watch for infection if the shell is broken then it probably needs to go to a vet
 

Yvonne G

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Looks to me as if it were hit by a car and went flying, landing on the pavement on the edge of the shell. Those pieces that are broken but still attached probably won't grow back together. In my opinion they need to be taken off. It all looks superficial to me, but, like was said above, antibiotics should be administered to combat any infection. Incidentally, Betadine is great for killing germs, but it also inhibits the growth of new cells, so shouldn't be used after the first couple of applications.
 
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