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A Very Busy Spring

  • aturtleforeverylog
  • Jun 17, 2022
  • 3 min read

Wow, it truly has been a very busy spring/early summer for us! I know it's been a while since we posted anything, but we have been inundated with turtles in need. Since our last post, we've seen dozens of injured and displaced turtles.


Our first group of turtles this spring was mostly box turtles suffering from upper respiratory infections. This is pretty common in early spring after a long brumation. This is when they're most vulnerable to infection because they haven't eaten or sunned in months. Respiratory infections in turtles is often recognized by swollen or crusted eyes, swelling of their timpanum, or their ears, a lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, and lethargy. If left untreated, a respiratory infection can easily kill a turtle through starvation or fever. This was our second respiratory infection turtle below. You can see the swollen eyes clearly.



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In more severe cases, like this Eastern Box Turtle, we employ the help of the Turtle Team at NC State's Vet School. They're a great group of individuals there that dedicate their time to caring for injured wild turtles. They have greater access to medications and medical supplies, as well as a lot of information, that makes them very important in what we are trying to do. Any turtles that we get who are beyond our help, we take straight to them! In return, we often foster turtles that they have worked on in order to help relieve their capacity and care for turtles who are preparing to be released back into their natural habitats. They take in any and every turtle that they can and do their best to help them. Which brings me to the next part of why we have been so busy.


In late spring and early summer turtles start moving around. Males adventure out looking for mates and females go in search of the perfect places to lay their eggs. During this time you're very likely to see turtles crossing roads and exploring where they aren't usually at. As always, the best thing to do for those turtles is to help them on their way. If they're crossing a road to a suitable habitat, by all means help them across. But often times, they're headed in a direction that won't keep them safe. In those cases, it is best to relocate. And, of course, the worst option is the turtles that have already been hit. That's where we come in and again our friends at the NC State Vet School.


We've had so many great people reach out to us with turtles who have been hit by cars and lawn mowers this spring. For a few weeks we were getting calls to help every single day. Some of them have had minor cuts, scrapes and cracks that we have treated, but many of them we have taken to the Vet School and a few of them we have picked up again and released after they have cared for them.


A couple of turtles worth mentioning include Bad to the Bone, a big male yellow belly slider that a man saw his neighbor injure with a lawn mower. He brought him to us and we were not sure he would make it. The damage was extensive. Both his back legs were gone and only part of his tail remained. The back end of his shell was damaged and he was absolutely crawling with maggots. We immediately drove him up to meet the vet on call at the school. Surprisingly he spent the whole ride trying to escape his container. We almost expected for them to euthanize him, but he is actually making a good recovery as we speak! Hopefully we can foster him and possibly keep him since his lack of legs will make it difficult for him to thrive in his natural habitat.


Another turtle, a female yellow belly slider, we brought in had a smashed shell and exposed lung. And the audacity to bite me and the vet who took her in. They've since named her Spicy and are treating her as best they can.


They're a great asset and I wish that we were able to do as much for injured turtles as they are. I'm learning everything that I can from them and would love to volunteer there sometime.


I hope that people keep calling and helping the turtles they find. Without them, so many of these turtles would never get to us or to the Vet School. Big shout out to every single person who has ever helped a turtle cross the road!


P.S. I will not be posting any graphic images of injured turtles in this blog.

 
 
 

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