Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Fluffy the Fighter still needs help...

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Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:20 pm   Fluffy the Fighter still needs help...

Fluffy the Fighter!
Fluffy, named after his curious personality and not sex, has been in the family for almost four years. My wife and I rescued him from the evil grips of my little brother who took Fluffy from my father’s pool out in the country. Since that kidnapping from the wild, Fluffy has lived a very rough life. He would go missing from his algae infested tank, too small for him to grow, for days, venturing around the house until discovered by an over weight lazy cat. Luckily, it was a lazy cat! We rescued Fluffy and boarded our plane back to Virginia. FYI, turtles, they don’t mind flying as long as they have a window seat. And yes, to our surprise no one said a word about our new family addition. While with us Fluffy has gone from a 5 gallon tank, to a 10, to 20 gallon and he loves his home. Unfortunately, from being mistreated at my brother’s home, his shell has always been deformed, frail, and just not appealing. One morning, while I was cleaning the tank, I walked into the other room to find Lucy our dog, short for Lucifer, was throwing Fluffy up in the air, catching him, and chewing on him as if he was her newest toy. Freaking out, I discovered just how hard it is to find a vet for him. (only one listed for virginia beach) Fluffy lost an eight of his shell in two spots and suffered a lot of trauma. But he’s a true fighter, he’s alive and well. The vet said we can improve his shell condition with two things, a broader spectrum of UV light and a more vegetable diet. But after seeing and reading soopermum62's story about BC and her battle with shell rot i'm begining to think Fluffy may have shell rot, i had suspected this before and took Fluffy to the vet when he had his encounter with Lucy. He never said it was shell rot... before you ask, there is no smell. I'll post pictures when I get home to Fluffy.
FluffytheFighter
 
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Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:31 pm   

Welcome. That's quite a story. It's good you rescued Fluffy from all those adversities. Looking forward to seeing the pics. Fluffy's shell would be helped by a light that truly emits UVB light, not just a full/broad spectrum of light that you mentioned in another post...

What is he being fed?
Last edited by marisa on Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:47 pm   

He has a UVB light and a heat lamp. Two light sources. it just works well for plants too... Fluffy eats a mixture of greens, no spinach or iceburg, and pellets. We are going to add carrots and increase the mixed greens verse pellets. We also bought a better pellet brand that's supposed to provide more vitamins and minerals, being Fluffy wont touch a calcium block. I'm mostly concerned about his back shell photos soon, Lucy had punchurd a hole in the back lid of his shell. The vet didn't plug it or anything and theres been some chipping around the area.
FluffytheFighter
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:53 pm   

Ok, from your other post it sounded like he had a full-spectrum plant lamp. What brand of UVB light is it?

I'd also increase his calcium intake--the calcium blocks you buy in petstores aren't very good. Get some cuttlebone for him, and I'd also try a powdered calcium supplement like RepCal (one without phorphorus at any rate). You could moisten and coat the pellets with it and let them dry before feeding them to him, or handfeed them moistened and coated if he'll eat from your hand.

For veggies with good calcium content, try dandelions, chicory, kale, collards. If you can get duckweed, an aquatic plant, this is excellent for a plant with calcium.

The puncture wound isn't oozing/leaking is it?
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:07 pm   

My light is a Super U.V. Coil Lamp It provides basking reptiles with purified, full-spectrum daylight, as well as optimal amounts of the UVB and UVA ultraviolet rays.

This is from the website where I bought my light, that's where I got the full-spectrum thing from...

Calcium, We'll try soaking the food and letting it dry, he wont touch a kettle bone, he just ignores it.

The puncture wound isn't ozzy or leaks, I became concerned when I came across this article about repairing shells:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... 4&EVetID=0
FluffytheFighter
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:22 pm   

This is the ESU Super UVB Coil light? If so, is it the one that emits 3% UVB or the one that's for desert reptiles (emits 7% UVB)? If it's the first one, that 3% is really pretty low, and because it gives off relatively little UVB, your turtle should be 6-8 inches away from it when he basks to benefit. It also should be changed about every 6 months, no matter what the package says. If he's got the 3% Super Coil, consider supplementing it with direct sunlight (not through a window/other barrier) several times a week, a few hours each time if weather and temp permit. When you replace it, go with a bulb that has a higher UVB output (Reptisuns are good, for example).

You could try breaking up the cuttlebone into head-size pieces (the only way my RES will touch it)--try experimenting with sizes. You could also break up a few calcium carbonate tablets (from the vitamin shelves) and see if he crunches those down.

Interesting info. MK is good. Did you check out the link she gave for shell rot? This one might be the same: www.anapsid.org/shellrot.html
There's also http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/shellrot.html

Can you get your hands on some Nolvasan/chlorohexidene (not the one for cleaning objects, the one for wounds)? It's effective for keeping wounds clean, and I've used it for what I later found out was shellrot as well.

If you want a second opinion on that wound, there's a sticky in the Urgent Care Forum with links for finding a herp vet. Is the one you went to the one listed at the end of the ARAV link?

Would like to see some pics, though...
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:19 pm   

I hope this works, sorry it took so long. If you cant see the pictures then click on the link.

http://www.amandarobinson.com/turtle.htm

the first right photo:
Fluffy after attacked by Lucy. The red is actually blood and yes he's missing a bit of his shell.

the other three photos are four weeks after.

he's doing a little better, i've taken him out of the water most of the time, and scrapped the loose shell of, giving him lots of light, and trying to change his diet. the tail part of his shell has curved out and is looking a little better.
FluffytheFighter
 
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:22 am   

hi....what a fighter you have there. I was on a hike 2 days ago and came across a land turt. after examing it well I discovered the little guy had a leg missing,the end had naturally sealed up very neatly too, looked like an amputated arm that a doctor might would have done. I guess my point is that many wounds will heal on their on if it is not infected I would probably leave it be and watch it closely,chipping at it may just caz it to stay irratated now if it has shell rot or bacteria thats a diffrent story.as it heals shell will shed much like a fingernail that is re growing. try giving the little guy real unfiltered Safe sunlight as often as possible. my baby will not touch cuttle bone in any size so I dust fishing worms and let it dry on occasions. I also put it in the tank water just b caz they do drink the water? sorry post is so long I could go on and on but for now wishing you much luck.
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