Box Turtle and Tortoise Discussion :: Turtle got run over by a car...

[DavidY]

Hey everyone! I haven't been on here in like forever but I wanted to share today's experience with you guys...

I was driving to the store today when I saw a turtle in the middle of the road. So I quickly pulled over as I always do whenever I see one of these poor little guys in danger. I ran back to him to pick him up and noticed his carapace was cracked, but other than that he appeared to be okay. Interestingly enough there was also a large garter snake trying to cross the road at the same time a few yards away so I shoo'd him back into the grass too.

I took him to the local vet but they said they had no way to treat him and couldn't offer any help what so ever. It was there that I noticed that there was some blood coming from the sides where the plastron connects to the carapace. At that point I figured he most likely had internal damage and was not going to make it. Since the vet couldn't do anything I decided to take him home and try to clean him up a little and at least give him a quiet place to rest.

Here's a picture of him after I cleaned him up and fixed the cracked shell (it had gotten crushed in a little but I managed to gently pry the cracked sides back into position and then applied some super glue to the exterior to try to cement it together)...



Here you can kind of see the crack where his plastron connects to the carapace. This is where the blood seemed to be coming from...


And here he is resting outside on my deck...


The good news is that I had originally placed him on a soft towel in some partial sunlight and after an hour he moved on his own to the back corner of the makeshift enclosure. He is now resting quietly in a dry tank in my reptile room. The last I checked he had his head halfway out but his eyes were only half open. I hope he makes it okay.

[LeslieMW]

aw that's so sweet of you. hopefully the little guy will make it!! so no vet will take him? i'd check online for a reptile specialist.

[untsmurf]

Wow, David, turtle hero of the day!!! That poor little turtle was lucky you drove by him before he could wander into the road. It looks like you did everything you could. I'll keep the little guy in my thoughts. I hope he makes it!

[mzkitty23]

you're awesome for saving him! good luck!

[DavidY]

Thanks! I did some research and she appears to be a Blanding's Turtle which are semi-aquatic turtles that tend to live in swamps and wetlands. They travel to higher terrain to lay their eggs which is why they are considered very prone to road kill. The females also do not reach sexual maturity until a much older age (like 14 years old) which is another reason why they are considered a potentially threatened species.

This morning she had some foaming coming out of her nostrils and some fresh blood coming from her sides and she moved around a little. I'm worried she may have a punctured lung. I gave her a good soak in a tub of shallow warm water for several hours today and she seemed to enjoy it. She moved around more and extended her head more too. She also defecated in the water too.

She's back in her dry tank now and no longer has any foam or bleeding for now. I hope she makes it. I'm surprised at how well she seems to be doing considering her injuries.

[mzkitty23]

wow. interesting! she sounds cool.

do you have a herp vet near you? is taking her a possiblity? her injuries sure sound serious. Poor girl! I'm glad someone that cares and knows about reptiles has her!

[Chrisbarnett]

Great that you took her in.

I was just trying to find a very helpful thread over on turtletimes forums about what to do with a cracked shell, but cant find it right now! ergh.

[Daniel3507]

that poor little guy. sounds like your doing an amazing job trying to help him out.

[DavidY]

I think the cracked shell will mend by itself especially with the cement. I've seen wild turtles with cracked shells that had healed over. It's the possible internal injuries that really concern me. I did find a reptile vet about an hour away and I will try to give them a call tomorrow to see if they can at least get me some antibiotics to help her fight off any infection. Surgery is out of the question so any internal injuries she's going to have to heal on her own if she can.

[LeslieMW]

has it eaten at all? i find it a good sign that it pooped! haha. i wonder what the foam was?

[mzkitty23]

hmmm, i think i remember one of littlecakes sick/rescue turts foaming at the mouth! I'm sure she would be happy to share what she learned from that if you PM her David.

[erynn.2506]

Awww, I think it's such an amazing job that you did to rescue her. Good luck & I'll be looking forward to hearing about her full recovery!

[Tenodera]

That's great you saved a turtle! Let's hope she/he makes it...

Yea, turtles are made of really tough stuff. They can take a lot and not be very phased about it.

It's strange, my chief lemon looks a lot like your rescue. He is also a rescue, saved from drowning in a man-made pond.

[mzkitty23]

she reminded me of chief lemon! i totally see the resemblance! I hope she ends up doing as well as him!

[littlecakes]

our turtle foaming at the mouth was intestinal blockage. probably not the same thing as this poor thing.

if you can't find a herp vet how about a wildlife rehabber?
i found some for you here that specifically say they will see turtles.
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlif ... abbers.htm