Urgent Care

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 8:20 pm **Small cut by mouth, tiny amount of blood**

He was fine a few hours ago, then I noticed a small amount of blood on the glass near his basking area(just a droplet or so). There isn't any in the water so I pick him up and notice there is a small cut right beside his mouth. I can tell it's a cut, I can see a small piece of raised skin, but I'm afraid to doctor it since it's so close to his mouth. I'm thinking dry dock (already removed him from his tank) but any suggestions would be great.

How big is your turtle? 5.5"
How long have you had it? 16 years

What is the water temperature? 73
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 2/3 of a 55 gallon
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 83
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? pvc and egg crate
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? nothing today, was about to feed, but noticed cut
When was the last time your turtle ate? two days ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 55 gallon
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? not at all

What is in the tank that your turtle could have cut itself on?

Kansasslider wrote:What is in the tank that your turtle could have cut itself on?

The only thing I can think of are the rough edges of the zip ties that hold the egg crate on, but I've already redone that.

So I dry docked him over night, and when I fed him this morning, this came out of his mouth first bite.

He ate fine, was super active when I let him swim for about an hour, and I haven't seen any more blood. There doesn't even appear to be a cut, which leads me to think that it may be something bad.

I can't see anything (due to my internet connection). How does the cut look like now?

OK I can see it now. I'll dry dock him for a couple of days (or longer but allow him to rehydrate occasionally), hopefully that'll help heal the area faster.

Have you been able to look inside his mouth, since a blob came out of it?

Urgent Care :: Small cut by mouth, tiny amount of blood

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