Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Dad found an eatern box turtle in eating in our garden that has some carapace damage and I want to help it but I don't know what I need to do.

If its bleeding you should contact a Vet or a wildlife re-habber. Can you describe the damage or post a photo?
If the turtle is eating, that's a good sign.
Stephanie

the turtle is not bleeding but I will let you see him for yourself we just found him this afternoon and i put some vegies in there for him, but it doesn't look like he has touched them there are the same number of vegetables that I put in earlier.

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***lizardboy***
I curently have 1.1 Bearded Dragons 0.1 Leopard Gekos and 0.1 Iguanas

I'd suggest putting it back in the garden assuming that you live in a rural area. That is the greatest picture as to the resiliance of these creatures. The damage appears to have been traumatic but, even more amazingly, it also appears to be healed or healing.

>>the turtle is not bleeding but I will let you see him for yourself we just found him this afternoon and i put some vegies in there for him, but it doesn't look like he has touched them there are the same number of vegetables that I put in earlier.
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>>***lizardboy***
>>I curently have 1.1 Bearded Dragons 0.1 Leopard Gekos and 0.1 Iguanas
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I agree with EJ (Hi Ed!).
That is damage that occurred previously, probably quite a while ago, and has healed very well. It should be released where it was found, so that it can continue on its way.
Stephanie

I have to agree with EJ & Steph. I often find wild ornates with the same type of damage to the shell & they're fine.
This is one I found this year eating mulberries that had fallen off my tree onto the ground outside our fence.
I snapped this photo of her, & I could tell she was just fine:

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PHRatz

Hi guys. Sorry, But I just don't know about this one. I know he is healed & looks healthy - Personally, I just don't like the type of injury he had. I have to see if it is healed solid or the shell is flexing. He could be a real easy meal. This one I would really have to physically handle before I agree. If I found this turtle, and he's ever so slightly "flexing" - I think I rather have him living with my group. I'm thinking you should get a professional opinion like a vet before you release him. If the vet says he doesn't think he should be released and you can NOT keep him - I'll would be more than willing to adopt him. We can always work out the shipping costs At least I know he will be safe. I just have some doubt on this one.

Turtle88,
Having him looked over by a vet before making a decision to let him go is a great idea.
It surely can't hurt anything to go that extra step to be certain before sending him on his way.
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PHRatz

Larger animals have a hard time trying to open up a boxie for a meal, but with an injury like that, if the injury is "flexing" - one good chomp /bite from a large animal - it's over. It not only has to be healed completely but it has to heal "solid" - Tough call-This one just worries me. Any mis-shaped deformity from an injury also puts it at a disadvantage. It give a predator a "target" to work on. I rather get a second professional opinion before doing anything. I just can't tell with a pic. I would hold off at releasing right now. Now that I've explained my position - What do you guys think?

I think your viewpoint has merit, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a vet look at it.
Based on what I can see in the photo though, and based on turtles with healed injuries that I've seen in a wild setting, I think this one looks like it has an injury that its been living with for a significant period of time. Its a survivor.
A determined predator will kill a turtle, previously injured or not, so I think the issue of increased vulnerability is somewhat debatable.
Regards
Stephanie

Ok... let's put this in perspective. If you'd like to keep the animal you shouldn't try to rationalize why. That is one of the worse traumas that has healed that I've ever seen. The point is that it has healed on it's own... the turtle is a survivor.

Also... he is very most likely a she.

(man, that sounds arrogant when I read it back)

>>Larger animals have a hard time trying to open up a boxie for a meal, but with an injury like that, if the injury is "flexing" - one good chomp /bite from a large animal - it's over. It not only has to be healed completely but it has to heal "solid" - Tough call-This one just worries me. Any mis-shaped deformity from an injury also puts it at a disadvantage. It give a predator a "target" to work on. I rather get a second professional opinion before doing anything. I just can't tell with a pic. I would hold off at releasing right now. Now that I've explained my position - What do you guys think?
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Personally, I don't need another boxie to take care of. (If I needed more boxies - all I have to do is stop releasing perfectly healthy hatchlings & just keep them.) I just think there are certain exceptions when one has to think twice BEFORE releasing it. This is one of them. But to just look at a photo - and conclude that is ok to release it with an injury of that magnitude - nah - Can't agree so fast. If the boxie was inspected by a Vet who says it is ok to release, - then I would release. Don't think I'm trying to rationalize in just "keeping it". I just feel better with a professional opinion before releasing it.

Boxies have an amazing ability to heal injuries sustained to their shell; one would say almost supernatural.
The boxie in question was wounded severely. However it has made it past that critical stage of survival. It can move about freely, and the wounds are not open and subject to infection. It managed to escape predators when it was most vulnerable; when it’s wounds were open, exposed, had very little shell integrity and the smell of blood was very strong. It managed to forage for food and sustain itself. It fought off infection.

As already stated; it is a survivor. It is of my opinion that it should be set free. I have moved boxies off the road that had injuries that were already healing; but the apparent injury to the shell was much worse than the one in question.
Ric

Interesting, Apparently the overall opinion is release it. However, I am still abstaining my vote in this matter. I know the turtle is a survivor - Call me overprotective - but that's the way I am. Yes, chances are it will survive by itself quite well. But I HAVE TO KNOW from a physical examination from a qualified person. Again, I just can NOT go by a picture. Why would it hurt to go the extra step?

IMO it there's nothing wrong with going that extra step. It's never a bad idea to be certain when it comes to their health & well being.

Last summer my neighbor handed me a beautiful male box turtle that he'd picked up off the same highway where we found Janie.
He picked him up because he saw a car bump him, instead of the car smashing the turtle it caused him to go spinning off the road like a top.
I looked him over, no breaks in the shell, no blood but he seemed shaken up, ratttled as if there could be some sort neurological damage so I took him to my herp vet the next day. He just didn't seem right to me even the next day.

The vet kept him, she said he didn't seem to need any treatment but she wanted to watch him for a while to make sure. I left it up to her to decide what to do with him, at the time I had no place to keep a male. She's a major turtle/tortoise lover, I knew she'd do whatever he needs.
Today I'm not sure what she did with him, I trust it was the right thing for him but if I'd just let him go I never would've felt like I did the right thing.
I am never against going that extra step to be sure about one.
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PHRatz

I don't think it would hurt to go the extra step and have a vet take a look at it. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I understand your point of view, and I think it is prudent to err on the side of caution, especially in situations like this when we're trying to evaluate an animal based on a photo seen on the internet.

Here's where we diverge, though: based on what is visible in the photo, I think the turtle has healed remarkably well. As Ric stated, it has already survived the most critical phase. There probably isn't much of anything a vet could do for the turtle that wouldn't subject it to more trauma (like attempting a shell repair), or just be redundant (like giving it antibiotics).

We have an adult male turtle here that had been injured and had his carapace fractured. This probabaly happened years ago. What's interesting about the injury is that the section of his shell that is broken free from the rest of his carapace but did not tear away from his flesh. It moves slightly when he walks. The bone appears to have mended and then refractured more recently. We debated trying to repair it, but when we realized that this turtle would have to be re-injured and then spend up to 2 years wired together, fiberglassed, isolated, kept inside and awake during the winter, etc., etc., we had second thoughts. After all, the turtle has adapted. And, since I found him mating a couple of days ago ("Lucky" got lucky), I can say that he's doing quite nicely.

Well the only harm in taking it to a vet that I could see is that the vets arund here are definatly not reptile specialists to my knowledge.I am also worried that keeping it much longer either me or the vet could cause unneccesairy strees on it. Possibly causing it to develop other problems. Also if it has any internal parasites especially. Plus for a little box turtle to be surviving here in the city where I live for as long as it has then it has outwitted all the predators many times no dobt, but if I do relese it I am going to take it somwhere where it will have less run ins with dogs and cars for shure

I would be inclined to let him go. If he was found eating in your garden, maybe you will see him again and can assess his healing at some future sighting. Shells heal very slowly but his appears to be doing just that.

Go by the majority opinion - release him where you found him. Odds are it's the right decision being that everyone disagrees with me - It's just something in my gut that says otherwise. I wish the boxie well.

I know it's late but throwing my two cents in - I agree that a vet visit would be a good thing. Even though there are no herp specialists near you are there any that are knowledgable(sp) about herps?

Im knew to this forum but , im abox turtle freak also. For over twenty years box turtles have always been an animal i truley admire a survivor habitat destruction and predation.I dont say over collecting because i dont feel that is the reason for there decline take a drive down highway freeway backroad and you will see why the decline is happining.More traffic more roads more dead box turtles.This turtle looks as though it was hit by lawn mower the way its damaged . Dont put it back do every thing you can to rehab it .THEN injoy an animal that is truly a great pet .If not; a raccon,or disease or simply fatigue may do it in. Fred from indiana

I would like to do that, but I can't technically I am breaking the law just by taking it out of my garden and keeping it in my house. It is illegal to own, buy, sell, transport, etc... turtles where I live. I just couldn't let him keep going before I aat least got some knowledgable opinions. One thing I think is good is that he has been eating. I am not even shure that the vets around here would look at him seeing as it that is sadly probably illegal also.

What state are you in? You can call around and ask anonymously if they see turtles.