General Care Discussion :: Injuries, so what now?

[PaperFeathers]

I had my two turtles together, and lo and behold, the female finally lost her patience and found that biting my other turtle's claws off would be a good idea.

He has about two claws from each front pads missing, and the area appears hurt, but healing...should I dry tank him or apply ointment? Something? There are no signs of infections, but even if he's alone in his own area now, he seems paranoid and keeps his front legs in his shell whenever possible.

Otherwise, he's acting perfectly normal. Great appetite, catching minnows, swimming.

Thanks.

[missibsu]

Have you seperated them? That would be my first step. Also, in his tank, you may want to raise the temp a bit to help fight off infection. Does it appear infected at this point? If it doesn't, I would leave it alone, but keep a close eye on it.

[PaperFeathers]

Of course I separated them! He's in his own area. Rubbermaid containers are really useful.

As for infection...now that I look at it in the light, the area looks so injured...I don't see any nasty green or white, but it doesn't look healthy...man, this breaks my heart.
I don't have a water heater, either. I happen to live in South Florida, and never found the need for one. His water is currently at 76F.
Should I remove some water from the container and replace it with microwaved water? I feel so bad for him right now.

[steve]

Sorry to hear this. Was the area bleeding? Does it look raw? I'd gently rinse the wounds and apply some Neosporin on the injured areas. Then keep him out of the water for a bit (about an hour) to let it be absorbed. I would do this 2 or 3 times a day. Keep the water as clean as possible. If there is no improvement or it gets worse (swelling, sore, puss), I would get him to a vet.

[PaperFeathers]

The area isn't bloody, but it is raw. Is it all right to rinse it with hydrogen peroxide solution? Feels like cool water on contact but it kills any infection. Dunno how it would work on turtle skin, though.

[steve]

I'd try the Neosporin first. It's an antibiotic (it will fight bacterial infections) and I wouldn't recommend trying different remedies at the same time.

I don't know how hydrogen peroxide will react to turtle skin.

[PaperFeathers]

All righty. Thanks, Steve.

Also, my other turtle is growing like...way too fast. I think her shell is cracking a little, and it doesn't seem very well hydrated. I put the kids out in the sun in a kiddie pool, but haven't had the chance to lately. I do have a heat lamp, though.
What should I do? Her shell shows no sign of "rot", just barely-visible white dry spots where it's..peeling?

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6315/18em1.png

[Andrew7769]

they shed naturally as they grow, but if you are concerned how much are you feeding her?

[steve]

What do you mean by "cracking"? Its hard to determine what the white spots are. It could be water quality issues among other things. Keep on eye on it to see if they are getting larger or change in appearance. Do they have a basking area and do they bask regularly?

Also, how fast have they been growing?

[PaperFeathers]

Well, the picture is what really tells best. I think that would be cracking, but I don't even know how to describe it. It's not furry or anything, though. Feels like the rest of her shell. (Maybe it's too small at the moment?)
I could measure the pH levels if necessary, but the minnows in the tank are healthy as can be. There are also no growths present in the tank, and I've used no additives.

For the female, her basking area sinks when she gets on it. I've been trying to figure out what to do with that, (can't build one right now) so she just basks and dries off when she uses the kiddie pool outside. For the passed week or so, it's been rather stormy and they haven't been out. I was actually on my way to set her there now, though.

The male is growing steadily, but the female is...too huge. I got her about the size of a quarter. She's now nearly 6''. I measured her a month and a half ago, and she was four inches. Now she's 5.11''. Width wise, she's pretty big, too. I'd say nearly four inches across, and weighs 9.5 ounces.
I feed her five - *maybe* ten (daily) because my mom tosses pellets in there behind my back -- only fairly often, I've taken to hiding the pellets.
Now that there are minnows in there, she gets five daily if she's lucky. She does have a water plant in there (it's barely there...she attacked it). I believe it was Lutea. The pellets are round and thick, so about ten would fit in her head if it were hollow.

[missibsu]

Best to hide those pellets good. Almost an inch a month isn't healthy. About an inch a year is what you should aim for. If your mom wants to feed, tell her to throw in some veggies. I would even cut back on the minnows, they are considered a treat as well. If you put five in at the beginning of the week and they all get eaten the first day, then no more for at least two weeks, I'd say. Maybe even once a month. Being overweight and growing too fast puts undue pressure on internal organs. Just not a good thing.

[marisa]

Maybe it's me, but I don't really see any white areas in that pic. If a turtle is growing too fast (which yours certainly sounds like it is), it is possible for what appear to be cracks to appear between the scutes.

You might want to feed foods like pellets every other day and give plant matter/veggies every day.

I don't think a quick rinse with hydrogen peroxide would hurt, but you could just rinse with clean water before applying a triple antibiotic ointment like Neosporin (even Polysporin if that's what you have). You could also do a quick wash of the affected areas with Betadine (I've usually diluted it a bit to the color of weak tea). As noted, keep the water super clean.