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re: turtles hind legs are hurt

22 16:14:36

Question
We have 2 male slider turtles about a few months old. One of them has hurt his hind legs. We first noticed he was swimming with only one (left) hind leg; the right leg was tucked in. The next day he was swimming with only his front legs and had both his hind legs tucked in. We eventually saw that both his hind legs seemed to have been gnawed on or bitten. He had white and pink discoloration on them. He also seems to have lost his nails and webbing. It looks really, really bad and painful. We think the other turtle has done this to him. However, we also thought maybe he has developed an infection. We also have observed that his appetite has decreased greatly and does not, for obvious reasons, swim as often as he did. He also seems to bask under the UV light and sleeps a lot. How can we tell what has happened to him. And, more importantly, how can we help him heal. Please help!

Answer
It is unusual for young sliders to attack this aggressively- are you sure nothing else could have gotten to them- other tank mates, other pets, etc.? Dogs and cats will do this, and outdoors it can be caused by skunks, raccoons, etc.

If there is infection- redness, puss, swelling, etc.- it should be seen by a vet.

For home care-
- review the basic cares and diet at a good site like http://www.redearslider.com
- get the water temps to about 85-90F
- dry the turtle off and treat the injured area with Betadine Solution (providone iodine) (not plain iodine or hydrogen peroxide), and let it dry a bit. Then apply antibiotic ointment to the wounds. Let everything dry for about an hour and then return to the tank. Repeat this daily. Stop the antibiotic when the wounds are healing
- offer supplemental cares with either Turtle Sulfa Dip or the fish medicine Stress Coat, but not both.

It may take a while to heal, but they usually do OK with basic cares.

For other opinions or ideas, try http://www.turtleforum.com

Good luck!