Urgent Care :: R.E.S. saved from fire

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

Post Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 11:45 pm   R.E.S. saved from fire

Hi everyone I took in a friends red eared slider that was in a house fire yesterday. The turtle is about 22 years old and about 8 inches long. I found it in the burned out house in a half melted aquarium.I brought it home and set him up with a new habitat. He appears to be in good shape and even ate a few pellets early in the day. I think he might have minor burns on the middle top part of his shell but I am not sure. The scales there are kind of whitish brown and he is rubbing that part of his shell on the bottom of the turtle dock almost non stop. He does not appear to be in pain only very ichy I would like to know if there is anything i can do to help soothe him. I have been in the aquarium hobby for years but have never kept a turtle but I have many fish related water treatments, conditioners and medications on hand. Thanks for any advice.
bobby718
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sep 25, 2018
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:30 am   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

Any pictures of the areas that are worrisome? Has your friend confirmed that those appeared after the fire?

Whitish-brown could be some discoloring from fungus, or melanism. Perhaps it's shedding and loose, which is why he feels compelled to rub it?
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 4:34 pm   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

So just an update I brought the turtle to a vet and was advised that it is very minor burns and I could apply silver sulfadiazine cream and lower the water level so that part of the shell stays dry. They said the shell will most likely heal it self and to just keep an eye on it to make sure it does not get worse. The turtle has been active sense he's been back and there has been no iching of the shell at all today. He has been readily accepting pellets and ate a few feeder fish. Thanks for the reply Steve I can't really send any pictures because I don't have a smart phone and am pretty illiterate when it comes to computers I just felt so bad for him last night because he's been through alot. When I first posted he had only been out of the burned up tank for a few hours and was probably very stressed.
bobby718
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sep 25, 2018
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:23 pm   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

Does the cream need to be applied constantly or once a day?
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:42 pm   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

They said once a day but they weren't too worried about it. They said it is very minor and only use it if it gets worse or he continues showing signs of discomfort. But as of today he seems fine and I don't want to cause him anymore stress. If I use the cream they want me to drain the water low enough that the area of his shell does not go under water. That is like an inch and a half of water and I would not be able to run the filter so there could be ammonia or a bacteria spike. Plus I don't know how he could regulate his temperature with out switching between fully submerged and basking out of the water.
bobby718
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sep 25, 2018
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:17 am   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

Take him out of the tank overnight and apply a very thin layer of the cream. A nice, dark area and he will sleep. In the morning, wipe off any residue (or gently scrub it off if necessary) and put him back into the tank.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:13 am   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

I took the turtle out of the tank and applied the cream. Left him out of the tank overnight (9 hours) Thursday night. I wiped of his shell and put him back friday morning 6 am. While I was applying the cream I noticed some of the edges of pleural scutes near the back of the shell were slightly raised. When I came home from work at 4 pm I found all of the pleural scutes and vertebral scutes in one piece still joined together and partially eaten in the tank. The marginal scutes did not shed at all. The original affected area on the new surface of shell is smaller by about 1/3 and the original affected area on the shed vertebral scutes was not whitish brown but transparent. The shed scutes were much much thinner than I have seen them in the past like the thickness of a piece of paper. Years ago the last time I saw a shed scute it was only 1 and about 3 or 4 pieces of paper thick. The new surface of shell is very hard with no slimeness and no signs of pitting or sores of any kind. Tomorrow I will bring him to my wifes friend who works in an exotic veterinarian office for a second opinion.
bobby718
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sep 25, 2018
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:27 am   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

Also if you could recommend a vet that deals with turtles within 100 miles or so of nyc anywhere but Manhattan. I am willing to travel but Manhattan is the last resort. Thanks
bobby718
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sep 25, 2018
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:05 am   Re: R.E.S. saved from fire

If the scutes are thin, and maybe translucent then it's totally normal. Marginal scutes are usually the last ones to shed. If you have a digital camera, feel free to email me the pictures. For exotics, I think Old Country Animal Clinic is pretty good. There are a handful of other good ones, but I have not been up to date on them.
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 9 guests