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Hi, I've been taking care of a RES for about nine years, but I've only recently found this site which REALLY helped me a lot on giving better care for my turtle (I've been using mere instinct before).
Just one question to ask if it's OK:
I recently found my turtle escaping its enclosure and wandering off into the bathroom...and hiding behind the toilet and whatsoever. While planning to get a bigger home, I'm also worried about the germs that may have accumulated on the turtle. I know I shouldn't use soap or any other disinfectant that would harm the turtle, but I don't think bathing it with water would get rid of possible bacteria (like e. coli). I've seen several articles about disinfecting the turtle's tank, but I don't think I've seen anything yet about the turtles themselves. So, if anybody would like to give some information they know of, I'll be grateful ^^

Hey Hellraven, welcome to this awesome forum! Did you check for any injuries? Open wound can increase the chances of bacteria infection

Hibiclens is an antiseptic you can find at most pharmacies. Patients use is to cleanse an area when they are going to be getting surgery. You can dilute it with water and scrub gently with a soft toothbrush. That would be good for killing germs.

Welcome to the forum! How big is the enclosure? You might require some escape proofing upgrades.

TurtlesOwner97 wrote:Hey Hellraven, welcome to this awesome forum! Did you check for any injuries? Open wound can increase the chances of bacteria infection

Hello, sorry for the late reply: I don't think I see any particular wounds....except for two brown spots that under the turtle's chin which I don't think I've seen before. I don't think they're cuts, but I tried treating it with warm salt water just to be sure. Besides infections by injuries, I'm also worried about residue bacteria which might be on the shell/skin, and would be released into the water when I put the turtle back home.

steve wrote:Welcome to the forum! How big is the enclosure? You might require some escape proofing upgrades.

Thank you ^^ The enclosure is...rather small for the turtle (a circular bowl-like container with a 50 cm diameter, with a 26 square cm platform connected to it). The turtle's shell is about 16 cm in length. I'm assuming that the turtle is escaping because the enclosure is too small for its liking, so I'm trying to find an alternative that would keep the turtle happy and also fit in the apartment I live in. While doing that, I think it would be a good idea to think of some escape proof upgrades. Would fencing the turtle in (like wire mesh or whatnot) be too stressful for it? Or maybe just buy a container with higher walls...?

AndreaF590 wrote:Hibiclens is an antiseptic you can find at most pharmacies. Patients use is to cleanse an area when they are going to be getting surgery. You can dilute it with water and scrub gently with a soft toothbrush. That would be good for killing germs.

Thanks! Although...I don't think I can find Hibiclens here as easily (pharmacies in Korea don't seem to have any, or many I'm not looking hard enough). I don't suppose ethanol or alcohol (for disinfection) would be adequate?

No ethanol or alcohol. The active ingredient of Hibiclens is chlorhexidine and you should be able to find it under different names. Anyway, you will need to figure out how to fit larger housing for the turtle. They require a lot of space, so you might need to be creative with how you arrange your furniture