Your Tortoise Tool Kit (First Aid and other items)

Nephelle

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Hello all!

Yesterday marked the one week anniversary of being tortoise moms! Yay! We are in love (and slightly obsessed on my part) already.

As most untraveled roads are bumpy at first, we ran into an incident earlier this week that required an emergency carrot bath soak. This was something I'd never thought to have on hand, and resulted in rushing to the store at the crack of dawn.

So! I am wondering...what is in your Tortoise Tool Kit? This is a general question, as I am curious about everything from first aid to vitamins to emergency power backups! (I also have a feeling that many items could be acquired over time at a greatly reduced cost than what is bought in panic mode.)

For myself, I know now to always have carrot baby food and Pedialite on hand. It's a start :)
 

wellington

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I don't have anything. So, if you don't mind, I will keep a list from what you gather here and start making my own tort first aid kit too.

Oh wait, I always have an extra space heater and mvb and Che bulbs.
 

MPRC

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After 7 years as a vet assistant I've compiled a pretty extensive first aid kit for my reptiles. I am going off of memory, but here's some of what is in it:

Neosporin (without pain relief)
New-Skin Liquid Band-aid
Saline
Nolvasan
Syringes for flushing eyes/wounds
22x1 needles
Pedialyte
Tweezers
Scissors
Kwikstop (styptic powder for small wounds that wont stop bleeding, i.e. broken nails)
Scalpels
Telfa Pads
Vet Wrap
Silvadene Cream (for burns)
Liquid tears ointment
Disposable Surgical stapler
Nylon and steel suture
Gloves, rubber and leather welding gloves - mostly meant for my old iguana)
Ziplocks
Nutrical & Laxatone
Science Diet A/D food
Carrot/Sweet Potato Babyfood
Acepromazine - also a leftover from dealing with p*ssed off lizards.

Long story short I am ready to carry my torts into an apocalypse based on my list, but with my inability to find a vet more knowledgeable than myself around here I feel like I need to be ready for anything. I would advise against having anything in your kit that you don't know how to use, or feel uncomfortable using.
 

Nephelle

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After 7 years as a vet assistant I've compiled a pretty extensive first aid kit for my reptiles. I am going off of memory, but here's some of what is in it:

Neosporin (without pain relief)
New-Skin Liquid Band-aid
Saline
Nolvasan
Syringes for flushing eyes/wounds
22x1 needles
Pedialyte
Tweezers
Scissors
Kwikstop (styptic powder for small wounds that wont stop bleeding, i.e. broken nails)
Scalpels
Telfa Pads
Vet Wrap
Silvadene Cream (for burns)
Liquid tears ointment
Disposable Surgical stapler
Nylon and steel suture
Gloves, rubber and leather welding gloves - mostly meant for my old iguana)
Ziplocks
Nutrical & Laxatone
Science Diet A/D food
Carrot/Sweet Potato Babyfood
Acepromazine - also a leftover from dealing with p*ssed off lizards.

Long story short I am ready to carry my torts into an apocalypse based on my list, but with my inability to find a vet more knowledgeable than myself around here I feel like I need to be ready for anything. I would advise against having anything in your kit that you don't know how to use, or feel uncomfortable using.

Holy wow! Well, when the zombies attack, I am packing up my tortoise and heading to your house!! LOL

A couple questions if you wouldn't mind :D

I did a quick search for Nolvasan, and Silvadene Cream and wasn't sure if they were prescription or over-the-counter? (Also not sure what Nolvasan is!)

Nutrical came up as a vitamin supplement, and Laxatone a hairball remedy. I may have looked them up wrong, but if not, that is really interesting! I can guess at what the Nutrical is for, but not sure about the Laxatone!

Sooo many awesome things on this list I wouldn't have thought of. I should have Kwikstop on hand for my dog, as well. :oops:
 

MPRC

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Holy wow! Well, when the zombies attack, I am packing up my tortoise and heading to your house!! LOL

A couple questions if you wouldn't mind :D

I did a quick search for Nolvasan, and Silvadene Cream and wasn't sure if they were prescription or over-the-counter? (Also not sure what Nolvasan is!)

Nutrical came up as a vitamin supplement, and Laxatone a hairball remedy. I may have looked them up wrong, but if not, that is really interesting! I can guess at what the Nutrical is for, but not sure about the Laxatone!

Sooo many awesome things on this list I wouldn't have thought of. I should have Kwikstop on hand for my dog, as well. :oops:

Nolvasan is a super disinfectant that comes in a concentrate that you can then water down to kill just about any bad bug. The generic name is Chlorhexadine. I use it in it's diluted form to clean wounds.

Silvadene is likely a Rx, I cannot remember at this time. It is great for burns.

Nutrical is a calorie packed vitamin supplement that is mixed with molasses for taste that is great for giving medications or as a base to a slurry for very sick weak animals.

Laxatone is in my kit thanks to an iguana who liked to eat things he shouldn't. It is basically molasses flavored petroleum jelly that helped move things along when I would find signs that he was up to no good and had eaten things like socks, underwear or whole bags of fruit snacks, wrappers included.

Also if you are ever out of kwikstop and have a bleeder then cornstarch does a good job.

Another thing that I forgot I carry in there are OB tampons, the little ones without applicators. They are a nice sterile "plug" if you need something to jam into a deep wound that wont stop bleeding until you can get to a vet.
 

Lyn W

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I have saline solution (contact lens wearers type)
but will be looking out for some of the things on your list to add.
 

Odin's Gma

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Having been a human Mom for nearly 24 years I am fairly well equipped for things like lacerations, having things like betadine, peroxide, syringes, that powder-that-instantly-stops-the-bleeding-that-has-a-name-that-I-can't-remember, super glue (for jagged cuts that can't be butterflied) gauze, tweezers, blah, blah, blah. One thing I have added to my repetoire was carrot baby food, which I made myself and keep frozen in a sheet. That way I can get a bin of hot water, break off a chunk, and drop it in which will thaw it quickly and bring it down to tort safe temps for a quick emergency soak if necessary.
 

MPRC

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I am by no means a professional, I have just spent a lot of time bringing critters back from the brink of death because no one around my home town cared. Having some of those snap and shake heat packs in your kit would also be advisable if you live in a cooler area where you may lose power. I have always had a wood stove and just had pet friendly slumber parties with everyone in the living room huddling for heat.

I think I new how to do sutures before most kids my age knew how to tie their shoes because of the way I was raised by a couple of 'do it yourself' junkies. I credit my parents for my self reliance. (That statement almost sounds negative, but it isn't)
 

kirsty Johnston

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I always make sure I have spare bulbs. Also have two tubes of athlete foot cream, betadine, dry food pellets (although I never have had to feed them yet!), toothbrush (that is key :)), 3-4 bags of substrate and ironically I have several water and food dishes
I can't think of the rest because I will wake him up if I go check lol
 

kirsty Johnston

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I always make sure I have spare bulbs. Also have two tubes of athlete foot cream, betadine, dry food pellets (although I never have had to feed them yet!), toothbrush (that is key :)), 3-4 bags of substrate and ironically I have several water and food dishes
I can't think of the rest because I will wake him up if I go check lol
Oh also have a convector heater and 2 spare electric timers
 

Nephelle

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This is so interesting!! Thank you to everyone who has been responding!

I sat down to try and compile a list of what seemed like the most important (and more obtainable) items from everyone's posts. Had a few more questions on different items (I'm good at questions :D )

Here's what I came up with so far! Feel free to add, modify or suggest!

:tort::tort::tort:

Medications

Carrot or Sweet Potato Baby Food
Pedialite
Liquid Bird Vitamins
Neosporin (without pain relief)
New-Skin Liquid Band-aid
Saline
Liquid Tears Ointment - (I am pretty sure I saw a brand name for this in a post from @Yvonne G , but I couldn't find it in search. I think it started with an S?)
Athletes Foot Cream - (Any brand recommendations, and/or specific medication to look for (or look out for) in generic brands?)
Nolvasan (Chlorhexadine) - (I found a post from @maggie3fan that this should be mixed 20 to 1 with water)
Betadine Solution (Is Nolvasan preferred over this?)
Terramycin Eye Ointment

First Aid

Toothbrush
Tweezers
Scissors
Kwikstop (styptic powder for small wounds that wont stop bleeding, i.e. broken nails) or Cornstarch
Super Glue (for jagged cuts that can't be butterflied)
Syringes for flushing eyes/wounds


Emergency Enclosure Items

Emergency Indoor Lodging Plans/Supplies
Spare MVB
Spare CHE
Spare Timers
Space Heater
Instant Heat Packs
Dry Food Pellets
Extra Substrate
 
M

Maggie Cummings

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After 7 years as a vet assistant I've compiled a pretty extensive first aid kit for my reptiles. I am going off of memory, but here's some of what is in it:

Neosporin (without pain relief)
New-Skin Liquid Band-aid
Saline
Nolvasan
Syringes for flushing eyes/wounds
22x1 needles
Pedialyte
Tweezers
Scissors
Kwikstop (styptic powder for small wounds that wont stop bleeding, i.e. broken nails)
Scalpels
Telfa Pads
Vet Wrap
Silvadene Cream (for burns)
Liquid tears ointment
Disposable Surgical stapler
Nylon and steel suture
Gloves, rubber and leather welding gloves - mostly meant for my old iguana)
Ziplocks
Nutrical & Laxatone
Science Diet A/D food
Carrot/Sweet Potato Babyfood
Acepromazine - also a leftover from dealing with p*ssed off lizards.

Long story short I am ready to carry my torts into an apocalypse based on my list, but with my inability to find a vet more knowledgeable than myself around here I feel like I need to be ready for anything. I would advise against having anything in your kit that you don't know how to use, or feel uncomfortable using.


Hey, where are you in Oregon? I'm in Corvallis and have a great Vet....
 

MPRC

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Hey, where are you in Oregon? I'm in Corvallis and have a great Vet....

I'm down in Eugene, but I will gladly drive to Corvallis or Salem or whatever if there is a vet worth their salt. Does your vet specialize in just torts or are they pretty good with most reptiles? I might need their name for my geriatric bearded dragon.
 

MPRC

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You have at lease 2 down in your neck of the woods.

I've visited one vet here extensively with a leopard gecko who had impaction and splenic torsion that was bleeding into his abdomen and she was nice, but she didn't really seem to have any more of a clue than I did.

I visited another vet to have another gecko euthanized, but I didn't actually get to talk to a veterinarian since I was just doing a pocket pet euthanasia, that visit was all techs and assistants who were as dumb as painted planks.

I will take all recommendations into account though. Maybe I am just a know it all and think I am better educated than the vets around here. I haven't been in Eugene long so I haven't really had to look hard for a reptile specialist.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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As I can't get anything here, in Morocco, I keep spares of everything from eye wash, to bulbs, even to coco coir, just in case.
Nice lists compiled, I will be adding to my collection.
Thanks, all.
 

AnimalLady

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Oh man, this is great. I'm so bad at preparing for things, I always say to myself, ehhh if something happens ill just run to Walmart since its open 24hrs.. I think this is a better idea. *gets pen and paper* ;)
 

Careym13

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Oh man, this is great. I'm so bad at preparing for things, I always say to myself, ehhh if something happens ill just run to Walmart since its open 24hrs.. I think this is a better idea. *gets pen and paper* ;)
The real question is, can you get to Walmart after the zombie apocalypse has started? :eek:
 

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