Urgent Care :: My turtle Benny has a sore on his neck, please help!

[Jr]

Hi Everyone,

I have been using this site for info for quite some time but never posted before. I need some help and advise if anyone has experienced this before. Also If anyone has used or knows of any herp vets in Chicago im by zip 60612.

Not sure what this sore could have came from, the past couple of days hes been basking alot and has looked like hes been itchy in his neck area. So I looked it up and found many posts here that the itching of the neck is normal as they get itchy when they shed. Since Benny has been shedding alot lately I assumed thats what it was. Last night after turning off Benny's lamp he stayed on his basking rock and didn't go into the water like he normally does when I turn off his light. I attracted him back in the water after a while and as he was swimming was when I noticed the dark mark.

Here are some pics of it:





And heres a pic of his setup:

[crackerlady2007]

I'd try cleaning, putting a little Neosporin on it. Leave him out of the water for about 10 min after so it doesn't rub right off.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Is there any bleeding or anything? It looks like he's been rubbing his neck against his shell ...

Can you better describe your setup, like answer the urgent care questions. Also, can you describe the shedding? Excessive shedding could be a sign of poor water quality, too warm of water, and various other things.

[SpotsMama]

Benny's a handsome boy!

Have you tested the water lately for ammonia or nitrites? What sort of readings did you get?

It does look like he's been bruised or cut, perhaps by the edge of his shell. Here's a treatment for a cut from a well respected site (Austin's Turtle Page).

"Clean the injured area with clean water. Disinfect the area with iodine or betadine. Treat with Silvadene (Silver Sulfadiazine), Neosporin or triple action antibiotic. Let turtle be dry for about an hour after treatment. Place in separate tank with clean water. You can add StressCoat for fish as it assists in the healing process. Treat this way daily for about 2 weeks or so."

[industrial_girl_2000]

Once in a while Sheba gets a sore that looks like that, often times from moving her head in and out too much (or too quickly). She gets it on the top of her neck from the shell rubbing on her. They get that from time to time, silly turtle-kids.

I agree with Spotsmama's post.