Urgent Care :: Injury on head

[Kiyomi]

My turtle escaped recently. We found him in a couple of minutes, but we've recently noticed a injury on his head. It appears minor, but it breaks the skin. What should I do to prevent infection? Is there some kind of medicine I should get?

[missibsu]

If it is just a minor wound, you can treat it with neosporin. After applying it, leave your turtle out of the water for at least a half hour. That will give the meds a chance to do their work. Be sure that when he's dry docked that he is in a secure location and somewhere where he will stay warm.

It wouldn't hurt to bump the water temp up to about 82F to help fight any infection that may be present. Also, be sure to keep the water extremely clean. Watch for any signs of blood poisoning (red or pink spots between the scutes or on the plastron is what I believe you should look for.)

[SpotsMama]

Missi, did you mean to say "It wouldn't help" or " It wouldn't hurt"?

[jenaero]

I believe missi meant it wouldn't hurt to bump up the water temp

[missibsu]

yup, it's what I meant...jeez that was a bad place for a typo. Let me get that fixed.