Urgent Care :: Swollen cheek

[irishmack27]

Hello all, Joined in the summer when I first bought Statler as a hatchling. He's since grown two or three inches and is a very curious and playful Turt.

I noticed a swollen cheek this morning, and thought I'd ask for advice here before seeking out a vet over the weekend. Just one side of his face is swollen. He's still very active, always accepts food, and continues to beg when I come near. Any feedback will be appreciated

And to add - I usually hand feed him a pellet or two in the morning, and throw an extra broken up pellet or two for him to "hunt" after. He agressively thrwarts his head out of hte watter to grab what i'm hand feeding him - maybe the pellet jabbed to hard?

Also, he has friends in the tank, 7 zebra dinos, 2 albino kori kats, and previously 1 pleco. Could he have bit the pleco's fins? They did have spikes in them. If so, should I be worried about the wound? ie - take to the vet right away, or see if it heals on its own first?

How big is your turtle? 3 inches
How long have you had it? 6 months

What is the water temperature? just turned up to 88is degrees (previously 82
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 30 gallon, about 3/4 full
Are you using a water conditioner? on water changes
Are you using any filtration? a canister rated for 125 gallons

What is the basking temperature? 90ish degrees
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes, always catch him doing turtle yoga on it
What kind is it or what is it made out of? 1 turtle dock, and 1 floating weighted log, seems to like the log better
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? yes
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 30 gal
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no

[steve]

The first thing that comes to mind is an ear abscess. There are several pics of it in the forum, do a search for it. There will need to a minor surgical procedure but should not be a problem for an experienced herp vet.

[SpotsMama]

I seriously doubt that the cause of the swollen cheek is a wound from a fish fin, though I suppose it's possible. Like Steve said, the vast probability is that your turtle has an ear abcess and will need to be treated by a vet. Ear abcesses are pretty common but quite treatable by a vet.

[irishmack27]

Treated yesterday by Dr. Daria Smith in Lexington, MA. Very professionaly, knowledgeable, and nice!!

Now I have to inject the little guy with antibiotics every day for the next 2 weeks He did not enjoy his first one this morning.

[megcornell]

Glad to hear it got taken care of so quickly and so well. He'll be so happy without that painful abscess!

They get better with the injections as you and they get used to them.

88 is a little too warm for turtle water. Putting the temp back down to 81-82 would be better because it would still encourage the turtles to bask.

[steve]

So was it an abscess? Antibiotics are not aways offered after abscess surgery but I AM NOT second guessing your vet. There are also liquid and oral antibiotics, perhaps you can ask your vet if you can try those?

[irishmack27]

It was an ear abscess. She said the antibiotics would help, and allow him to be in his water at all times (given I keeep it super clean over the next month).

Statler took the shot much better today.

The water was returned to 80/82 degrees earlier this week.

[mikee]

Irish-27 - Your water temp should be about 78 after he recovers. The basking should be 90 to 91 F. I might suggest that you revisit your filter and see how many gph does it put out. You should have at least have 5 times the water volume in the tank. The more water exchange the more filtration. While he is recovering, clean water and basking is important. Good Luck!!

[marisa]

Glad to hear it was taken care of. It sounds like you've got your res a decent vet. Injectible antibiotics are preferred over oral ones, so it's good that you're able to inject him and he's taking the shots better.