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Recently, my RES grew a sort of lump on both sides of his ear, I'm not certain what it is and how serious it is, so I took a few pictures for you guys to see if it serious or not.
sorry its a bit big, but I wanted to capture every detail







PS. I cant afford surgery or even the vet, so I'm kinda in a sticky situation[/img][/b]

this web site will help i was just browseing and found it


http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/emergencies.htm


if u have any more ? u can ask me but i dont know much i hope this website helps

It's an abscess. An vet needs to lance it, drain it and give the turtle antibiotics.

... it's a fairly routine procedure so it shouldn't cost much. It will only get worse, so it must be treated.

yea on the web site i found i saw pics it can get biger than that

can I do it myself? my dad's a surgeon

I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself, or even having you dad do it. A herp vet knows how it needs to be done, and how to make the even less stressful on your pet. You'll need the antibiotics too, so that he doesn't get an infection, and those will have to come from the vet as well. These abcesses are very painful for your turtle, so don't wait until they get bigger.

is this fatal? is it definite that my turtle will die? would the thing go away by itself? and also, how much would it usually cost to tak it to the vet?

its not going to go away until you take him to the vet to have him treated. he will be fine as soon as you take him to the vet... as far as pricing goes, every vet is different. find a herp vet in your area and call them to get a price estimate

The left side looks larger than the right from the pics. It can eventually kill your turtle because the infection will eventually take over the system. The areas need to be opened up to allow the pus to come out. Antibiotics need to be given to kill off the infection. As it grows, it puts pressure on surrounding tissue, and will become increasingly painful (but your turtle can't tell you that). Find a herp vet, the sooner the better.

yeah well, the whole responsibilities thing, he wants me to take care of my own pets

yeah well theres the whole issue of taking care of your own pets, and the responsibilities thing, and my turtle is about 2 inches wide at the caraapace

Hmmm..... I wish my dad was a surgeon.. then I could afford to go to the vet every week! Your turt may be in a lot of pain... How many inches long is he?

Davis wrote:can I do it myself? my dad's a surgeon

I'm a bit confused here. You say you can't afford to go to a vet but yet your father is a surgeon??

Davis wrote:yeah well theres the whole issue of taking care of your own pets, and the responsibilities thing, and my turtle is about 2 inches wide at the caraapace

The "responsible thing" to do would be to call a vet in your area & take your animal to see the vet (regardless of how big or small the turtle is).

Turtles can live for many years and if you take good care of them, they can be with you a lot longer than a dog or a cat. I've had my turt for 17 yrs and if something was ever wrong with her I would take her to the vet!!

Keep us posted.