Hi,
I rescued an injured box turtle from a street in my subdivision on Saturday, July 14 (I am in Atlanta, GA). It had its left front leg freshly amputated and the anterior-most segment of its plastron has several small cracks (encounter with a power mower?). There was a small amount of fresh, bright red blood on the underside at the hinge, but not much blood from the leg stump (what little I could see of it when he was open). Animal was alert and crawling when I picked it up and seems to still be alert in its cardboard box in my garage.
How do I proceed? I normally release rescued box turtles in a wooded section of Stone Mountain Park. However, I am concerned whether my guy will be able to dig in for the winter with only his right foreleg. Should I keep him? Is there a turtle rehab center or zoo that might accept him? Also, should I apply anticeptic (peroxide) or antibacterial ointment to his wounds, or otherwise render first aid?
Any help is greatly appreciated
Cheers, Dick
