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african sideneck

22 16:00:43

Question
I have an African sideneck turtle that I have had for about months he is doing well I adopted him from petsmart.  When I got Mork he was up for adoption because he is blind in one eye but he eats great and very active.  The only problem he has had was about a week after we had him I had to take him to the vets because he had an abscess on the same side that he is blind in.  The vet confirmed he his blind and they lanced the abscessed and gave me drops to give him for 10days I did this.  About 2 1/2 weeks ago he started getting discharge from the site of the abscess on a Saturday night and on Sunday morning like a little stone came out.  I still had medicine left so i treated him for another 10 days he seems to be doing great.  I was told by the vet his breed his common to to abscess is it? Also is there any veg or fruit he should eat I have tried a few with no success.  He is housed in a 75 gallon wide tank with a good area to get out on that also has a waterfall on it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also would it be alright to get another African sideneck in the same tank?

Answer
I need you to provide the complete background that was asked for when you selected to ask me the question. I also need to know where the abscess is, and the name of the medication you are giving him and whether they are oral or ophthalmic or topical? If the abscess was in the ear, then it sounds like your vet is not very knowledgeable of reptiles or turtles in particular. Reptiles seldom form viscus exudate filled abscesses, therefore, lancing is unlikely to help. Reptiles typically form caseous (waxy) exudate abscesses, which means the stone-like object you removed is likely the actual debris from the abscess. The abscess still needs to be treated, and this is usually done with surgical debridement and systemic antibiotics NOT lancing and antibiotic drops. I typically pack these abscess cavities with silver sulfadiazine, and an aquatic turtle would likely require some dry docking, with only daily short swims for hydration and feeding, to prevent further contamination of the wound and to promote healing. You might go back to this vet and inform him to consult with a reptile specialized vet, or consult Dr. Douglas Mader's "Reptile Medicine and Surgery", which is easily found on Amazon.

This turtle likely still has an infection that requires treatment before it spreads into the blood.

I can't answer anything else about health or environmental conditions without you following the instructions I provided.

You should not house this turtle with ANYTHING until it is healthy, but you didn't state how big this turtle is either, so I can't tell you if your tank is appropriate.