Zeus the Eastern Box Turtle

Our third rescue of the season came in late Saturday (4/2) night!

As you can see, Zeus is not looking too good. He came to me from a family in Smithfield NC who found him digging in their backyard and noticed he looked a little off. They were wonderful and brought him to me that evening so I could see what we were working with. From the pictures they sent I could tell he was clearly dehydrated and at the very least suffering from an eye infection. It is still a little early for Boxies to be emerging from their brumation period, so this guy was likely driven out by his illness.

Once I collected him I realized that he was a little beyond the care that I can provide.

I started with what I could do. I cleaned him up and put him in a sterile container with about an inch of tepid water to help him hydrate a little and make it easier for him to expel the mucus from his mouth and nose. He was still very active and moving around, but calmed a little in the water. His eyes are so infected that he can't open them and there is some swelling around his ears. This, combined with the plaques inside his mouth, are common signs of a viral infection in his respiratory tract. For turtles this is very dangerous for a couple of reasons. With the way their system works anything that attacks their airways is a major threat. It also means that he is blinded and turtles rely on their sight for keeping safe and eating. They have much better sight than we do, but their sense of smell is okay. Without his eyes, he could easily starve without assistance.

After his soak, he did crack an eye open, which appeared to be inflamed, but still intact thankfully. He coughed up a lot of mucus and gurgled when he breathed. I dried him off and got him in a clean container with some paper towels and food available just in case he needed it. I put him in a quiet, dark place with a higher ambient temperature to keep him cozy and as relaxed as possible for the night.

Sunday morning I immediately called the NCSU vet school and spoke with their turtle team. They have a great medical program and fostering program that I've registered to be a part of. They agreed to take him and provide him with the antibiotics and iv fluids that he would need to make a full recovery. I dropped him off that morning and await updates on how he is doing. On intake they also believed he had a viral infection with possible bacterial infections in his eyes. They do think he will make a full recovery with proper medication and care. I'm hoping I'll get the chance to foster him, but as long as he is cared for, I'm happy.

Good luck Zeus!