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By far the greatest threat to the health and well
being of box turtles is the Highway.
In the spring and after heavy rains box turtles can
be found
crossing roads in search of mates or nesting grounds. When you spot one,
the first concern is your personal safety. Don't take chances...
If its safe to get the turtle, take it to the side of
the road in the direction it was heading and release it. If you return
it to where it was coming from, it will just try to cross the road
again.
Unfortunately, not all are lucky in their attempts to
cross the road. Many are killed. Others receive life threatening
injuries. The following information is for the unlucky. If at all
possible take the injured turtle to a vet or rehab center. Here, my vet
will treat any injured turtle for free and release it back into the
wild. At the bottom of this article are links that should help you find
assistance in your area.
INJURED TURTLE CARE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. One common mistake made by many is that the turtle is tipped upside
down. Please do not place turtles in this position because they are
uncomfortable and it could kill a sick or injured turtle if the air sacs
or lungs are compromised. Turtles cannot breathe in this position.
2. It is best to transport an injured turtle in a container that will
limit movement of the turtle and is escape proof.
3. Under no circumstances should an injured turtle be fed or placed in
water.
4. Keep the turtle indoors away from insects, out of direct sunlight,
preferably cool or and dark. This will help to reduce stress on the
animal.
5. Contact Fish and Wildlife right away because it may be illegal to
possess the turtle you have found without proper permitting. You could
also contact your local rehabilitation facility because they should
possess the proper permits and should be able to identify the species of
turtle you found.
6. The turtle may be covered with debris such as algae, road dirt, or
blood. You do not want to clean off the turtle by placing the animal
under running water. The shell injuries can be subtle or obvious, but if
they are the full thickness of the carapace (top of the shell), the
plastron (the bottom part of the shell), or involve the bridge (the
connection between the two shells, it could substantially injure the
turtle further by rinsing the turtle in running water. By doing so the
debris could actually be pushed into the internal organs or the water
could flood exposed lungs just to name a few things that could likely
occur.
7. You can clean the turtle using gauze or damp paper towels and remove
as much of the dirt and/or blood as you can. Care needs to be taken not
to dislodge clotted blood as this could restart the bleeding. After the
majority of the debris has been removed, you can then take a solution of
betadine, at a one-part betadine to 9 parts water and gently cleans the
wounds with moistened gauze in with this solution.
8. If there is blood present on the face or in nostrils or mouth, you
can, with caution so that you don't get bitten, gently clean it away
with cotton-tipped swabs. The reason for cleaning the nose and mouth of
blood is to help the turtle to breathe. If you find that bleeding is
continuing placing pressure on the bleed for 10 minutes or so with gauze
or a cotton-tipped swab will usually stop the bleed.
9. If a limb is mangled, bleeding or broken, please do not pull the
limb. The risk to further damage is likely. You can clean limb as best
as possible without pulling on it. If front limb is bleeding, you can
create a pressure bandage by packing a cotton ball (or several depending
upon size of turtle) between elbow and shoulder of turtle and taping or
wrapping arm of turtle into shell. If rear limb is bleeding, mangled or
broken, again clean as best as possible without pulling on it - then
create similar pressure/immobilizing bandage by placing cotton balls
behind knee and/or in inguinal fossa (area in front of knee) and
wrapping the limb to the shell.
10. If there is a shell fracture internal tissue is exposed, please do
not rinse with betadine, or use a first aid ointment, and do not flush
with tap water. You can clean the margins of the wound with a betadine
solution and place moistened sterile gauze on it. And then wrap the
turtle. It is important to immediately get this turtle to a qualified
turtle vet or to a rehabilitation facility.
11. It is very important to realize that shell fractures or other
injuries that do not look all that severe can be fatal and that turtles
that are appear to be acting normally, moving around and biting can
actually be fatally injured. It is far better to err on the side of
caution than to find days or weeks down the road injuries that could
have been successfully treated by a qualified veterinarian were judged
insignificant and thus not treated. Most open fractures and most soft
tissue injuries at the very least require antibiotics; many require
surgical intervention and displaced shell fractures require surgical
repair.
12. Since turtles are very long lived, the turtle you are taking the
time to stop and rescue could be decades old and have many decades left
to live ... turtle people are special people. By joining them in helping
the turtles of the world, you join the ranks of unique and caring
individuals.
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