Humpty Dumpty's Release!

I packed along Humpty Dumpty to my vet appointment this morning so Dr Folland could check his shell. He looks great and got the clearance to become a water turtle again! 

Woo hoo! 

He's been so miserable at my house in dry dock. He loves being outside in his wading pool and fights me when I bring him in at night. 

Luckily, my friends have a backyard pond they've built for their ducks and allowed me to put Humpty Dumpty in it today. 

He hesitated only a minute before plunging into the water. Yay! Happy turtle again! 

Dr Folland and my turtle rescue friend suspect that Humpty is a wild-caught turtle who got picked up after he got run over. His shell, his mannerisms, and his refusal to eat normal food all fit the lifestyle of a wild turtle. Since I wasn't willing to just dump him in the "wild," the pond is a perfect home for him. 

Swimming Session

It's finally sunny enough outside that I'm able to let Humpty Dumpty have his swimming time in the sun. 

It's been overcast and cooler (84 high) since Dr Folland recommended it to me. 

Yippee for sunshine! 

*Humpty Dumpty got run over by a car and has a cracked bottom shell. He's been in a "dry dock tank" while we let his shell heal. He is a water turtle, but the shell won't heal if he's in the water. 

Eating! When Food is a Good Sign

Lotus chowed down on 6 large superworms today! 

Humpty Dumpty got in his water bowl and ate 8 pellets. 

Woo hoo! Glad both of them are eating again. 

Humpty Dumpty's Day Adventure

I decided this little cracked turtle needs some variety in his life. So he's spending the day outside in a cage. 

I'm sure he hates the cage, but I can't risk him escaping. I soaked him in the tub for a good 20 minutes and then took him outside. 

He doesn't move around much in his cage. I think he's bored and feeling trapped. Hopefully this helps. 

And that's my dog, Teddy, photobombing. ;) 

Upgrade for Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty, my lone red ear slider, is slowly improving. I had to start him on antibiotic shots. Most days I don't see him at all moving around in his tank. 

Today I upgraded him into a bigger set up. 

He immediately spread his greens all around and then went back in his box hide. 

Yep, he fits right in here! ;) 

Dumbo Update

Dumbo is the red ear slider I took in a couple weeks ago. He's in "dry dock" -- a 10 gallon tank with a hide and water dish. Every couple days, he crawls into his water dish for an hour to soak. 

I took him out today to see how his shell cracks are progressing. There's been no improvement. :( 

I'm waiting to hear back from my vet on what to do now- something different or keep on keeping on. 

He's not eaten once since I got him. Today I tried feeding him in the sink so he had more room. 

It didn't help. He still won't eat. Tomorrow I'll try feeding him little guppies. Maybe he wants live food instead of pellets and pieces of greens. Maybe he was a wild turtle to begin with. 

So I guess until my vet tells me differently, I'll keep him in dry dock and hope he eats and heals. He's not a high maintenance rescue and most of the time I forget about him. 

Oh and a friend says I should rename him "Humpty Dumpty." Brilliant!! 

Dumbo, rescue 149

Remember the last post that said I wouldn't ever rescue another red ear slider turtle? Uh huh. Remember the two posts before that when I said the same thing? Uh huh. 

I have another one. 

This one was dropped off at my vet's office after someone found him in their neighborhood. The sides of his shell are cracked and it seems pretty likely that he was run over. :( 

So now Dumbo is at my house in a dry dock tank while his sides heal. He's allowed to get in his water bowl for a bit when he wants to. He usually only stays for a few minutes before going back to hide in his box. 

Once he's healed up, I'll find a pond for him to go in. :) And then I'll say again that I won't ever take in another RES turtle. 

And y'all can laugh at me again. :D 

Making Reports

Today I've called my local police and animal control to let them know my baby sulcata tortoises was taken. I'll put up

some more flyers around my neighborhood. Other than that, there's not much else I can do. 

I did get a call last night from someone who found a tortoise. I knew it wasn't mine, but I offered to take it. It wasn't a sulcata, it's a red earred slider. He's a healthy and active little guy. He didn't want to stay in his temporary box or the kitchen so I put him in my garden so he can explore. 

Pudge at the Vet

Pudge's vet visit wasn't as bad as I thought. Phew!

Yes, her (we think) feet are super bad but we're going to soak her and treat her for a week before we do anything else. She may still lose a few toes and her feet will always look weird, but she should be okay. 

She was NOT happy with Dr Folland messing with her and let us know by peeing all over several times. He also told me she's very obese and needs to lose weight. When her front half folds into her shell, her bum falls out the back! 

Pudge had a great time exploring the vet's office and charming the vet techs with her adorable face. Pudge & Smaug weren't too sure about each other for a moment before I moved them apart. 

A moist environment, daily soakings & lotionings, a good diet, and the right set ups should get her back on track to being an active & healthy turtle. 

Treating Shell Rot

Here's Stinky Winky, the red ear slider turtle I didn't want, and the steps for treating his shell rot.

First, he gets a half hour bath in 88 degree water. This is when he can eat and drink and poop. He gets floating pellets and some small pieces of greens too. 

Second, I dry him off really good- especially his shell rot holes. 

Third, I use a Q-tip and swab his shell rot out with a Chlorohexedine rinse. You can buy Chlorohexedine at farm supply stores  and online. It's a great antibacterial cleaner and I use it a lot. 

I put drips of cleaner in the holes and then let them set for a few minutes. Then I use the Q-tip to scrub them out so the Chlorohexedine gets into all the cracks and crevices. 

Fourth, I take a dry Q-tip and dry out all the cleaner. 

Fifth, I fill each hole with a thin layer of 

Silvadene cream which is an antibacterial cream I get from my vet. It's great stuff! 

Sixth, Stinky Winky goes back in his sick box. Until he gets over the shell rot, his water time is limited to once a day. 

Stinky Winky, rescue 119

When I started reptile rescue, I had a list of reptiles I did NOT want to rescue.

And so far, I've rescued all of them. 

Sigh 

In fact, the more I say "I don't want to rescue them," the more likely I am to get one. 

Thus the 9 (?) iguanas. 

Today I brought home a red earred slider turtle. The one turtle in the whole world that I don't like and don't want. Yep, it's at my house. I join the ranks of the dozens of rescues who are overwhelmed with these stinky guys. 

lucky me. :/ 

This little guy sounded really bad, like he needed to be put down. He had shell rot into his belly. 

Well, his shell rot isn't that bad. Bad but treatable. So he's at my house.

There is no longer a list of what I will not take seeing as how it didn't matter anyways. ;) I'll just try to practice saying "No." 

Bentley, rescue number 49

A reptile friend gave me his ornate box turtle to take care of. The turtle, who I call "Bentley," has had poor health for years and recently had his beak split by an inexperienced vet who was trying to trim it. I took Bentley to see my awesome vet today and got good and bad news.

The good news is that Bentley is healthy, active, has an amazing appetite, and is pretty fiesty.

The bad news is that his bottom beak is split into the growth plate and won't ever heal. His top beak has sorta grown out in a weird way and won't ever close properly over his broken bottom. He eats just fine regardless (thankfully).

Bentley was NOT happy to have his beak shaved down or to have his nails trimmed or to be poked and prodded. He spent the rest of the afternoon trying to snap at my fingers. I let him walk around the puppy pen while Daisy free-roamed this afternoon. He enjoyed snapping at the grass. When I brought all my tortoises in, Hermy put herself right to bed in her corner in the laundry room. Daisy wandered over to the area under my desk where she slept last week. Bentley followed Daisy around and tried to nip her toes.

While we were eating dinner, I was chatting with my family and all of the sudden, Bentley found one of my toes. OY VAI! It didn't hurt, but it sure did surprise me. He finally got his chomp in. Once the weather is plenty warm, I'll put him in my fenced in garden area and let him dig and chomp to his little heart's content.