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When you keep a large group of animals in a collection, whether you are a zoo, a veterinarian, or a private owner, you are going to have sick animals. It is important to know the animal's behavior so that any potential problems can be prevented. Take this girl, for example. She looks great, doesn't she? An amazing animal. But upon closer inspection, we see a problem. This is the Canaan camp. So, this is Shelley. Shelly is a young spurred tortoise, and she's doing what they do best: grazing . She was doing just that when I noticed she had a terrible shell injury. I went into the enclosure, looked around, inspected everyone as usual, but then I went in from the other side and saw this horrible wound on her shell, and my heart broke.
It's simply incredible how much turtles are able to withstand injuries. You can see an animal with such a terrible shell problem, and it will still eat. Actually, that's exactly what she did. However, this injury has been going on for several months. I could literally look into her body cavity. So my heart just sank. In case of injuries, basic care is to stabilize the animal's condition in order to transport it to the veterinarian. So I carefully hosed the wound down to remove any dirt or debris that might have gotten in there. Then I used saline, rinsed her, and then applied a cream called Silver Sulfadiazine-it's a white antifungal and antimicrobial that you can get from your vet. He is wonderful. It is simply necessary, if you keep turtles, it is
very important. So I kept the animal clean, took it to the vet, and we decided to just let nature take its course. Keeping the wound clean was quite a challenge every day. I had to be sure to carefully remove any dead tissue or cream residue, wash daily, and then apply a new layer of cream and apply Tegaderm. This is a protective patch that acts almost like a second skin. It is transparent, so you can observe the healing of the wound inside. I held it for a few days until we reached a certain stage of healing. And now everything will be just fine with this animal. As I said, these are hardy animals, and with such injuries they can recover if you provide proper first aid. So don't panic. Personally, I don't care if she has a small scar on her shell. I think
it adds character. She has a wonderful long life ahead of her. So what will ultimately happen to this, you can get a little closer. Look here. You can see that it's still a little soft, but that scar tissue is definitely healing. Turtles heal from the inside out. It will heal its shell, starting from the inside of its body, where new bone will form. This bone will then grow through the tissues and eventually fall off. It will take years for this animal to fully recover, but it will definitely recover. And when we
talk about land tortoises, we know that they can easily live to be 80 or even 100 years old, like this particular species, the sulcata. So I'm not too worried about her, because as soon as I let her go, she'll eat grass again. But there are certain infections and injuries caused by germs that we really need to talk about, because they are almost always fatal if left untreated. Let's go find out about it. We are now in what should be my dining room, but right now it is more like an infirmary. We saw shell injuries or similar damage. That's one thing, but what's really dangerous for turtles is upper respiratory infections, and I'll show you why. And first of all, I want to show you exactly how a sick turtle behaves. Look down here. You see, these leopard
tortoises are the patients who need the most care. I have other animals, but these are very sick and you will notice that they are very lethargic. They hardly move. Their eyes are closed, and they generally spend most of their time basking, which is what you will see in sick turtles. They are trying to raise their body temperature. If they do not move between temperature zones or leave their warm-up areas, this usually indicates that something is wrong with the animal. Another sign, I'm going to reach over here right now and pick up this male leopard tortoise. Another sign is the nostrils. You know, if you see the discharge from there, the sunken eyes, and look, he
looks so sleepy. Clearly, this animal is not feeling well. Uh, suppressed appetite, not as active as usual, not moving much. Here's how you'll notice that your pet is sick. If you pick it up and it seems a little lighter than usual, uh, that could mean the animal is just dehydrated, so that's another sign. So, now I noticed it. We discovered this in time, but as I said, these are the patients I'm focusing the most on right now. So what I need to do, and what I want to show you, is I'm going to turn the animal upside down with a spoon, which is important because you can help get some of the mucus out. You see, it's coming out right now. Uh, it's really important to help clear the lungs because turtles can't sneeze or cough. So what happens is that all this mucus
builds up in their respiratory system, and it can lead to pneumonia, which is extremely dangerous for the turtle. I saw them die in a matter of hours. So, without a visit to the vet and receiving proper medication, the consequences can be catastrophic, and these respiratory problems can spread to the entire colony. So you need to isolate the animals quickly, identify them quickly, and hopefully I've given you enough information to understand when your turtle is sick. Now I will do what my vet said. We have the drug. We'll move here now. I already have the syringes ready. Of course? So, basically, now I have to get these two injections. Uh, it's a drug called ceftazidime prescribed by my vet that works well against this
particular type of respiratory disease. So what to do: I prepared these syringes. You take the turtle by the front paw, right here. You hold the paw and you have to insert a needle, and believe me, it's not fun, but it's necessary to save the animal. carefully let the air out of the needle. Very carefully. That's it. And then I insert it where their triceps are, or right here. Maybe you should come a little closer so you can see it. They are a little sore. I know, friend. You have to give them an injection, and then I give them one injection. I pull out the needle. And then I prepare the second injection. I try to do everything
as quickly as possible so that the animal doesn't get nervous. This is the least enjoyable part of the job because it hurts them a lot. Well, that's all. So, done. Now the animal has received treatment and we will return it back to the container. We will maintain an elevated temperature because, due to their cold-blooded nature, they will not be able to absorb the medicine if it is cold. Medications may be ineffective if they are not kept at a temperature of 30-35 degrees. As you can see, he's a little livelier now. He doesn't like being pricked. Here's how to identify a sick turtle.
A few tips on how to cure them. I must emphasize, I am not a veterinarian. I just do what the vets say. I always take my sick animals to the vet. So we know exactly which treatment plan to choose. And before I finish, I want to thank my friends and mentors - Sam Bescucci from the Florida Turtle and Iguana Farm. He helped me a lot with this knowledge. Also thanks to my good friend Amanda Ebenhack, a wildlife rehabilitator who is also very knowledgeable about turtles. Thank you both. I hope they recover soon. Now you have an idea of how to tell if your turtle is sick. That's all, friend. Let's bring him back, let him rest. See you next time.
Thanks for watching. And as always, be sure to visit the Camp Canaan YouTube channel and subscribe today.
