Reptile & Amphibian Forums

can any1 please tell me what the huge bulge poping out near its neck? the turtle was on my driveway so i brought it in and later noticed some worm looking things in it.i poked it with a toothpick and the worm moved farther in the bulge.the hole is pretty small but i think ill still be able to use tweezers to pull the thing out.Should i or do you think i should just let the turtle go.
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From your description, it sounds like the turtle may have insect larvae in its neck. If you're confident that you can remove them all yourself, give it a try, otherwise take it to a vet or contact a wildlife rehabber in your area.
You'll have to remove them all with tweezers, flush the wound thoroughly with Betadine, or even peroxide, and keep it packed with an antibiotic ointment for a few days, to prevent infection. Which means you'll want to keep the tutle captive for a week or two
Depending on where you are and what your own setup and schedule allows, you might opt for the vet route, or your vet should be able to put you in contact with a rehabber.
Certainly help the turtle out if you can, since its probably somewhat painful.
Stephanie

Yes, these are fairly common in box turtles and though the parasitism usually doesn't kill the turtle, it's not impossible to get an infection and die from this condition. So please call around for a vet that take in wildlife and ask if they would be willing to remove the bot fly larvas from this turtle, or perhaps the vet knows of rehabbers who can do it. If you can't find a vet willing to help, call your state wildlife department and ask for the closest rehabber to you. They get calls like this all the time and should have a list of rehabbers they work with. If all else fails, write back! Good luck!
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Tess
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