Urgent Care :: I think I burnt my turtle.

[ami]

I know I feel like an idiot and i feel so guilty. I had him in the sink and I twisted the knob to REALLY hot water by accident. I think he hurt his back feet because they both are in his shells. I mean he will use it if it's REALLY neccesary otherwise it's in his shells. It's a slight pink/red colour. I took him out of the tank and placed him in a giant plastic basin with lukewarm water. I also put in this serum for turtles called "reptisafe" Instant terrarium water conditioner and on the back it says:
[list]Instantly removes chlorine and chloramines
Removes ammonia and helpes prevents its accummulations
adds essential electrolytes(including calcium)
aids in rehyrdating new arrivals
stimulaters slime coat development providing a natural protective barrier for all types of amphibians
reduced ph[/list]

Will he get better? and how long do you think it will take? should I take him to a vet? Since I live in Canada we have a national holiday called family day so services are back on tuesday.

How big is your turtle? 5 inches
How long have you had it? 1 year & 1 month

What is the water temperature? he's not in the tank
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 1/4 bowl. 1/3 of tank
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? rock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? no not yet
When was the last time your turtle ate? 7 hrs ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons
Is the tank near a window? yes
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? partially

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? His hands and feet are a sligth reddish colour from the hot water and he's very easily frightened. he'd swim rapidlly and frantically in the water if he's startled or when i go near!

[worldpeace]

I think he will be okay. He just needs a little time and then the places where he got burnt will shed and he will be as good as new. This is the cool thing about reptiles, if something damages their skin they can just shed it off and grow new one.

You shouldn't worry too much. Keep us updated.

[papoopeepoo]

You really should get a thermometer. The finger is very biased

[worldpeace]

I've known some biased thermometers as well and from then on I use two or three in the same tank just to be sure I'm not making turtle soup or ice cream.

[bradmeisel]

i use two and they always say a different temp :S I once did that, i'm just lucky it didn't burn them. It happens, don't beat yourself up over it. Just not again. Happy turtling

[ami]

Hi guys thank you so much for your advice. yeah i head one and he keeps biting at the thermo. and I just got frustrated. But yeah once i get some money I'll fix up his tank.
update on him: well i was a lil frantic this morning when I woke up to see his back legs were swollen! in panic i called the emergency animal hotline. they said i can bring him in but it costs $144 for consultation and of courses on top of that theres medicine. so i was like ughh,.. i dont have that kind of money =|
so I went to my pet store to get food for him. and i asked two of the workers what to do. one of them said to leave it be it will heal on its own. I should be worried if he's inactive and isnt eating or signs of infection. the other guy said to leave him dry for an hour + apply some polysporin and let it be. so i did that and the whole day i didnt expose him to any water. I guess he was really hungry because he refused to eat last night so he's pigging out now. his feet are still swollen HOWEVER he's swimming and he's eating so im happy. he's just a lil bit more easily startled. which i hate but hopefully i gain back his trust =(.

I wonder his colca (i know i spelt that wrong) It got burnt to ..so wil that affect his excretion. I just hope theres no internal damage. =\
once again thank you guys! =]

[worldpeace]

I agree with the pet store worker (this doesn't happen often). Turtles are hardy creatures and can go through a lot of tough things and still survive.

He probably experienced a whole lot of shock too. So he has to deal with that also besides the physical pain. Just give him a little time.

[imderanged]

Some water conditioners sold for fish such as API Stress Coat contain aloe. Using that in his water might help sooth the burn.

[ami]

thanks! yeah i'll look into the water conditioner. He's mainly basking. I hate the fact he's inactive... i guess he needs time but it's just frustrating seeing this. Ok so this is weird.. throughout the night maybe 3-5 times i would be woken up by him thrashing in the water..violently. at around 6:45 am i got frustrated and put on his light. after that he climbed up on the rock and has been there ever since

[ami]

his tail was burnt and im afraid that might be intefering with his excretion? is that possible?

[ami]

oh and he thrashes in the water esp. in the middle of the night (which wake me up =\) does anyone know whats that about?

[steve]

How is he doing now?

[ami]

hmm well he finally excreted after a couple of days just the other day..so im glad.. i thought the burns might of affected that part. He doesnt like being the water that much hes mostly basking and unfortunately doesnt eat much. I'd say he is a bit inactive but I dont know if it's the "trauma" as for his skin
some of its coming of it but it's not fully off its sort of just hanging off of him. The swelling went down though! I put polysporin every other day and change the water every other day to prevent bacterial infection.
Do you think I should make an appointment with thevet..especially regarding his inactivity.. he eats but not as much as he used too and he's mostly basking. temperatures are fine too.

Thank you for asking!

[ami]

I wanted to do an update on Jojo, who had to endure an unfortunate accident at my hands. He was burnt and his legs were greatly affected by it. Now I know this isn't common for many pet owners to go through but I just wanted to put together the various advice I got and measures I took.
Jojo is slowly doing better. Like many told me he just needed time. During this time you will see excessive basking and trauma.
Implement this new regime:
-immediately after the burn place turtle in cooler water to counter the accident.
- change water frequently! this will prevent bacterial infections which can worsen the situation
-ALOT of protein and electrolytes are lost due to burns. Give them more protein. I fed Jojo shrimp. He refused pellets from his diet after the accident.
- try to provide a little more heat because there is heat loss in burns.
-inflammation will occur ...if it's a minor burn use polysporin or neosporin (which are also useful for cuts)
- if it occurs in majority of the body (in my case it was his legs) than you got to take the turtle to the vet. he prescribed me an antibacterial that penetrates the skin. Minor burns do happen, like from the lamps. However major burns should not be disregarded and its recommended to get a vet's help.
- I also reccommend API stress coat. it has aloe vera which promotes healing and regeneration. It also forms a slime coat that prevents electrolyte loss. (thank you Iamderanged for the reccommendation)

Its going to be three weeks this saturday and Jojo is walking (minimally) but he is still going through the healing process. The burnt wounds are brown and he shedded of some of the skin. Hope this helps anyone... even though I rather not have someone in my position or a turtle in jojo's position.

[atul6950]

My tutu went thru the same scenario (accidentaly put her in running hot water,burnt legs and tail) .Can you please advise me regarding the Antibacterial your vet prescribed.

She is not eaing much, just 2-3 pellets.But I guess she ate the tomatoes i fed her .She looks a little paniced after what happened.