Baby Rescue Turtle with Crushed Shell

[EKS56]

[Eddie]

I think it is awesome that you are taking the time to care for him. Next to garter snakes eastern boxies are my favorite herp!

[d_virginiana]

He ate a blueberry tonight and scooted around a little in the water when I let him get a drink.

[d_virginiana]

I found out last night that the vet school nearby has a turtle rescue program that provides surgeries and whatnot to sick/injured wildlife. I haven't e-mailed them yet, because I'm worried that he would just be put down immediately. Mainly because they are centered toward releasing them to the wild, and this one will never be able to be released. The extent of his nerve damage is becoming clearer, and he can't walk. He can scoot maybe an inch without assistance, but that's about it. Additionally, shell injuries in young turtles require years of supervision to heal. I am quite sure that a typical vet recommendation would be to put him down, and once handed over to that program he would be completely out of my control.
Any opinions on this? I'm still waiting to hear back from the other rescue...

I am aware that he may have to be put down, but when he doesn't seem to be in pain, and he's so alert and interested in everything around him I'm not going to do it. You can tell he still has the will to live. He can still move all four legs, and I think there is great possibility for improvement or maybe mobility with some sort of wheeled prosthesis.

The good news is that the majority of the wound is pink today, and more pieces of badly injured shell have flaked off. Most of the dead tissue seems to be gone, and he enjoyed a morning session of drinking and pawing at the water. The eye is clearing up nicely as well.

[guidofatherof5]

Tell them about your concerns.

[d_virginiana]

Got a response from the Reptile Rescue, and am sending a message to the Turtle Rescue team (apparently they work together). Regardless, he should be somewhere that he can get that surgery by the end of the week. I'll just have to make it clear that I'd be willing to take him on long-term and do whatever basic therapy and care would be needed.

[jwolfe152]

thats fantastic news hopefully they will let you keep him afterwards and not insist that he stays in the rescue

[d_virginiana]

It doesn't really matter if he stays with me, the rescue, or ends up in some sort of educational program somewhere as long as he gets the treatment. I'm invested in him, and I want to know what happens, but I volunteered mainly because I've got an idea of how long the rehab process is going to be, and I'm not sure if there'd be a line of people wanting to foster a special needs turtle...

Apparently the reptile rescue is looking for someone to fill one of the positions there. After I get the turtle taken care of I may see if that's something I'd have time for.

[jwolfe152]

yea i have looked at a few sites that you can search your area to see what shelters/rescues have what animals and i have seen a few shelters/rescues with special needs turtles most of them have half or more of the shell missing its sad to think they get turtles (or any other animal for that matter) that need medical attention and get all fixed up then further down the road when nobody will adopt them, they put them down.

i really wish more people knew about and adopted animals from shelters instead of going to pet stores and getting something for a lot more money that is filling up the centers. hell on the sites i was talking about i have seen so many juvenile pythons and corn snakes and if there is a fee for them its still cheaper than a pet store. same thing with ferrets and im sure that sugar gliders (i love them) will start showing up more and more

[d_virginiana]

I'm really hoping I can get involved with the reptile rescue near me in some way. It'll give me a go-to since I've apparently become the person people call for reptile rehab or removal (seriously, I've gotten like five calls in the past month. Luckily most of them were watch overnight then release cases). I imagine most people who see a sick or injured reptile either kill or ignore it. I know a lot of people who wouldn't even consider going to a vet for their pet reptiles, which just baffles me.