Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i found a large (approx 18 inch carpace... i'm not getting my hand close enough to his head to measure tho!) snapper on the road yesterday. He's active, aggressive, and walks properly. He's acting like the typical snapper. His one problem is a crack on the edge of his shell. It's not moveable, but he did have minor bleeding (like a drop). The crack is about 2 inches long, but it seems to only go partially thru except for one tiny spot about an ince from the edge of his shell. His plastron is undamaged. His legs, neck and head are undamaged.

So here's what i did. I used a mild antibactrial soap and washed the crack. Rinsed it extremely well. *boyfriend comes home to find me washing a snapper in my sink, rolls his eyes and walks away* i then put a bacatracin ointment on the entire length of the crack. i set him up in a 40 gallon breeder tank outside (didn't want him getting used to indoor temps) and filled it with water from my pond. He's got enough water to be completely covered, with about 2 extra inches. I have a large slanted rock that i placed on one side, where he can easily pull himself completely out of water and be secure while he sun bathes. he's been in and out of the water with no problem. i added a handful of freshwater salt (to break down disease) and a 10 gallon dose of tetracycline. he's got feeder fish to eat.

i am not keeping him for long, i just want to make sure an infection doesn't set in before he's released. i plan on releasing him in a nearby lake, where i know there are large amounts of snappers. tomorrow i'll be getting water from the lake so that he can become accustomed to it as 'home' before it becomes his home.

obviously, the best choice is a reptile/wildlife rehab... unfortunately, the one locally has a vet for turtles who is quick to euthanize, and has often caused death by over stressing them. i had a tortoise, who got attacked by a dog, brought him to the vet. this guy patched him up, and because my baby didn't eat within 10 hours of major reconstructive surgery, felt he should force feed, and further place stress on him. he died soon after, and all reptile/turtle vets i contacted about the problem agreed that because his only abnormal (yet expected) problem after surgery was not eating, the force feeding was most likely the stress that put him over, because immediately after the feeding, he would no longer even move, or poke his head out of his shell even. i refuse to put another animal into this vets hands.

is there anything else i should do for this guy? my plan is to keep an eye on him, watch him for infection or other problems, and release him in a week. i just want him to get a chance to start healing in a clean environment.

I have had several experiences with shell shocked road beat turtles...here is my advice. This is for snappers, as they are tough as nails anyway!

- bring the turtle home WITH CARE not to get tagged by it!
- assess the damage, if there are serious internal injuries call animal control, as they may be able to provide vet care
- if the cracks are superficial then go out and buy some 2 part epoxy
- move the turtle outside and allow the shell to dry for at least an hour
- use peroxide and clean the wound throughly...a soft brush may be used to aggitate the area if needed
- you may wish to use some isopropal alcohol on the shell as well to insure the area is clean and the epoxy will adhere well
- mix the epoxy together, and make sure it is a good ratio
- try to make the shell aligned if possible, but do not shift anything too far as you are risking the animals internal organs if you crush them! Be sure not to harm the animal more than you are helping it!
- apply the epoxy to the shell, and hold the shell for a few minutes to allow the glue to set and bond quickly
- if the crack is very large some people like to use epoxy in combination with a fiberglass cloth...this seems to work very nicely
- give the turtle a few hours out of the water to allow the shell to dry out and the glue to cure, you also want to be sure the area is well ventilated, as some epoxy glues will give off a vapor which could be harmful!

I would change the water ever 18 hours or so for the first week. You can also add a little bit of aquarium salt...this helps to aid in the healing process, and seems to be very good against bacteria. It will also kill several parasites like leeches! You may want to alternate to a salt bath, and then when you change the water just use tap water. Tap water is better than distilled, or aged! Most tap water has addatives like chlorine...this will NOT harm a turtle! It might kill your pet fish, but on a turtle it will not kill it, as it will not inhibit the oxygen consumption in the gills as turtles breathe through their lungs, and not gills as they have none! If anything it will help kill off bacteria and micro-organisms that could cause problems later on with your patient!

over time the shell will heal, and bond itself together again. You don't actually need to glue anything, as if the shell is held together with say a clean ace bandage over time it should bond itself back together. Snappers are amazing turtles in that they are tough little buggers, and they are not going to be slowed down too much by a little crack! You must make sure infection does not occur. I like to keep them in warm water, but allow very good water quality. A filter is nice, and daily water changes are a plus as well.

you may wish to CAREFULLY slip a burlap snake sack over the head or just drape it over the head so the turtle won't get too stressed or snap alot. Avoid high heat for a few hours as the turtle will dehydrate! This is a very nice thing to do if you plan to work around the business end!

Lidocaine works well as a topical anestetic for minor injuries (brush burns, scrapes, etc

note -- any harm to limbs please get to the vet! They can feel pain, and dont ever try to stitch an animal yourself or anything else like that!

best of luck!

-Steve Clark
TurtsAndTorts@tmail.com
TurtsAndTorts Captive Bred Exotics

thanks a lot!

i'm confident he'll be fine, i don't think it's possible any internal organs have been damaged, it's just a crack, that only goes entirely through in one tiny, tiny spot. and only a drop of blood was present when i found him, no dried blood from earlier, and no bleeding since then.

i'll make sure to keep his water clean and keep an eye out for infection, if he's still good in a week, i'll release him into a lake where he'll be very happy.

happy and healthy... set him free today

GREAT ADVICE!!!
if the only external sign of damage is a cracked shell,
apply a two-part epoxy to a cleaned and sterilized crack, and release the turtle asap after epoxy has dried. snappers in particuar are very hardy, and can bounce back from nearly anything besides decapitation.
if there is visible damage to neck, tail, or limbs, however, seek a herpitologist, not just a dog-n-cat vet.