(RESOLVED) husband ran over a turtle, need help

[Luvmyzoocrew]

my hubby came in with a turtle that he ran over with the riding mower. At first glance at looking at the turtle there are two knicks off the shell and it looks to be a crack in the shell from the back to the top of the turtles shell. Now i am not sure if it goes all the way through or it is just a crack onthe surface. i kind of lightly pushed on t he shell and it didnt move so i am not sure if it goes all the way through. there is blood coming from the back leg areas, not too too much , but blood non the less.



we now have him in a tank with grass onthe bottom of it to make sure he is even alive. He brought his front legs and head out but not his back legs yet so that i can see how bad it looks. i thought about just putting him back outside and let what happens happen, gosh i hope that doesnt sound mean. my hubby wants to keep him till we know he is ok , even if that means that he needs to stay a few days till he heals. I am ok wiht that but here comes the hitch. if he isnt ok i cant keep him knowing he is suffering, also i technically cant have him as he is a box turtle and it is illegal for me to have him, and if i call a rehabber, or at least the only one that i know of they will charge me to take him.



what would you do? what should i do? is there anything to help him that i should know?

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I would take him to the vet and turn him over to them...they shouldn't charge you. Just say tell them what happened and they can probably get him fixed up and to the rehabber.

Emily

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We found an injured Tortoise once. We took her to the Vet that does all the work for the shelter and they took her no questions asked. Really feel you need to do the same.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

he came out of his shell and it looks like his back leg there is a little cut not bad at all, but he does pull it right in if any pressure is put on it, and when he was trecking around the tank he was only using the one leg. I looked at his shell fromt he back end and it doesnt appear to be cracked all the way through, but of course i didnt look too too good at it. i will call the vet and aske them if i can drop it off ,lol

 

[pipwin]

Definitely do not let the turtle go back outside if he has a crack in the shell. He could be very susceptible to infection, predators (if he can't move properly) and flies/maggots in the wound as well. We get several turtles a year with similar cracks from being hit by cars or run over by lawn mowers. These cracks are many times reparable but sometimes can take several months to a year to heal. Currently we have two undergoing rehabilitation for those exact situations.

Here is a link to some wildlife rehabilitators in Pennsylvania. I would contact one of them (even if they are not close, they may know others in your area) or contact an exotics vet. Shell repair is something that really should not be done by a vet that is not experienced in it/wants to experiment with it. There are a few listed that work with reptiles.

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactN.htm#pa

Hope you can find the little guy some help!

 

[Maureen Las]

I found an injured turtle that had been smashed up against the rocks in Lake Michigan (by the waves and wind) I tookhim to the zoo that was next to the lake and I was later told they needed to euthanize him as he was too badly injured. ...definitely take this turtle to a vet or wildlife center

 

[bunnybunbunb]

I use to rescue Eastern Box Turtles, they are very hardy. Keep him in a small protected inclosure of the day with shade and sun if at all possible. He will be very unlikely to eat while kept inside. Adult box turtles eat more live foods than not so catch worms and stuff. The sun will help it too. Best thing you can do, if vet or anything like that is out of the question, is leave him alone as best you can. Animal matter and veggie matter foods, water, sun and shade and time in a safe place to recover is the best you can do.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

well we went to the vet and they looked at him and the shell wasnt cracked all the way through,so they told me to put on bedodine on it, to clean off anything that might be on the shell, and put her back out where we got her. They said that was the best bet. The shell wasnt that bad and that she would be ok going back out. The cut on her leg was not that bad either, just a small cut. We let her go after we got home, i hope she makes it.

 

[paul2641]

You did what you could so good on you!

 

[irishlops]

i agree with paul!
is ita turle or a tortise? it was n your garden, so do you live near open water?

 

[degrassi]

irishlops wrote:

i agree with paul!
is ita turle or a tortise? it was n your garden, so do you live near open water?

She said its a Box Turtle. Which is a land turtle and isn't aquatic.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

could a mod mark this resolved.

thanks i still wonder if she is ok, hopefully she is but i will never know

but as i type this i hear a peacock in the field across the road,lol