Urgent Care :: Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

This is not a substitute for qualified and relevant veterinarian care.
Read this before you post a new topic here.

Post Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 10:38 am   Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

Heya,

Just last night a toddler stepped on our YBS while we let it out to walk around the apartment a bit. The injury doesn't seem serious but I'd still like some advice. Namely, two of the outermost, jaggy shell scales got damaged, one got bent upwards but didn't break, the other one got bent downward and broke (but didn't tear off). There was some very minor bleeding at the point where the break occurred but it was pretty much just thin red line. I didn't remove either of the two scales, assuming they'll fall off eventually with shedding on their own, and I don't want to cause any more pain to the turtle.

The turtle seems fine really. Other than the initial shock, it ate properly, and now that I wanted to take a picture of the injury to post here, I saw her basking and didn't want to bother her (she's shy, rushes back off into the water if I get too close while she's basking).

Long story short - do I need to do anything? By all things I know and can measure, the turtle seems fine, and the wound seems minor. My assumption is that it will heal itself and the broken scales will fall off eventually? Once the turtle isn't basking anymore I'll edit this post with a picture just in case.

Best regards,
Damir H.
DamirH
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 26, 2016

Post Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:38 am   Re: Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

How big/old is your YBS? When the turtles are older, the scutes are not really pliable, so it's a matter of time before it breaks off.

I would mainly dry dock until the bleeding has completely stopped.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:54 am   Re: Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

It's really hard for me to tell the age as I got it when the shell was ~12cm across. Now it's ~15 and she seems to constantly shed. The bleeding stopped within an hour or two (this is now day 3 since the injury). She's basking just fine, if not more than before.
DamirH
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 26, 2016

Post Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 12:02 pm   Re: Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

I'd keep a close eye on it and make sure the water is extra clean. It could be a point of infection, which can be more problematic than a shell injury.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 1:04 pm   Re: Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

Anything I can do to lessen the chance? Any way I can tell if it's "out of the danger zone"?
DamirH
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Nov 26, 2016

Post Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:04 pm   Re: Yellow Bellied Slider - Small Shell Injury

You can only keep an eye on it. If there are no retained scutes and you can clearly see whats going on then I would say that it would make it easier for you to tell.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male


Return to Urgent Care

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests