Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In a five inch male res. Found it in a stream. Its shell is broken about an inch and a half along its bottom carapace and stretches from its head to its left front leg.

The piece is still attached, however, so I want to mend it. But how? Glue?

The turtle is very active and climbs hither and thither. I put an iodine solution on it and left it out for six hours. But I honestly don't know how to fix a broken shell, and fear it may get infected or never heal at all.

They have ways to mend shells but donot try it yourself. There are certin materials that need to be used and any unseen problems from the break need to be adressed first such as infection, etc. Hope this helps, scott

Broken shells can be mended with an elaborate fiberglass and resin technique (big bucks), but if the break has not exposed the pleural cavity to bacterial invasion, it will heal on its own, but only after a prolonged period. Don't expect rapid results - many months may pass before it stabilizes.

try super glue, it works on cuts better than stiches, it might work on the shell, ...maybe.

Greg