Urgent Care :: Turtle injured (cracked belly + swollen left paw/joint)

[Mrtoughpants]

I don't know where else to go for help so I found this site.

My mom dropped my RES about a month ago and it cracked the bottom front part of his chest plate about 1 inch in length, it's goes from the left side in to the middle where there's the line of the carapace. There was a little blood so she left him out of the tank for about two days put some tape and bandages around him until it dried up, everything seemed fine up until now. Now his left shoulder joint has swollen up a little bit just enough to notice a difference on the side where the crack was with the bleeding. The swelling is mostly under his leg (armpit) where the skin meets the bottom of the shell. The crack under his belly is still open but the carapace isn't loose either.

He can still move his left leg but he doesn't use it to move around much since he was dropped. He walks around when we let him out. I put him on his perch and he had his back legs stretched out and he was relaxing and sleeping, that's a good sign right?

I'm leaving him out of his aquarium because there's food that was uneaten and i'm cleaning the aquarium tomorrow after work.

I know you'll tell me to visit a vet but we're 1-2 hours away from Montreal, i'm in Drummondville, and everyone works during the day with 40 hour jobs. Is there anything you can advise in the mean time to maybe help my turtle out?

Should I get something to seal the crack on his belly?

The crack occurred about 4 weeks ago.

Thanks for any help

How big is your turtle? 4-5 inches wide 6-7 inches long
How long have you had it? 10 years

What is the water temperature? cool
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 30+ gallon, roughly 36inches (length) x 20inches (width) and water height 6-7 inches

Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? room temp atleast 75
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? fake rock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? a day or two

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 30+ gallon
Is the tank near a window? yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? yes, swelling

[xsavingsaturdayx]

you have NO other choice, man. that turtles gotta go to a vet.
and your turtle needs more room,at six inches he needs atleast a 60 gallon tank.and you should know the water temp because its vital to their health.

someone with more experience can tell you what to do till your turtle goes to a vet,THAT TURTLE NEEDS TO GO TO A VET! a broken shell/bone/ANYTHIGN isnt something thats going to go away by itself.
it will kill your turtle,if not treated.

[flutterby]

I agree, that turtle needs to go to the vet. With an injury like that you're risking infection if not death.

[Muirner]

VET ASAP! no one here is a vet and can assess the damage truely done by the fall. It may be simple, but it may not be. Please do the right thing and seek a vet!

[da sAUCE!]

"durrrr, my turtle has a crack in his shell thing and uhh he's swelling up like a balloon, DURRRRRRRR, help me what should i do?!?!!?"

v-e-t.

[steve]

@Mrtoughpants - refer to the links here: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12
Getting him to a vet is part of the responsibilities of keeping a turtle.

@DA SAUCE - If being sarcastic would help get the point across, I would volunteer for that day job. However, a simple and intelligent response does wonders for most people.

[marisa]

mrtoughpants, where you go for help is to a herp vet. It sounds like an infection, and he really should be seen by someone qualified to treat him. Good luck. Keep in touch regarding his progress.

[da sAUCE!]

@DA SAUCE - If being sarcastic would help get the point across, I would volunteer for that day job. However, a simple and intelligent response does wonders for most people.

dude some people just need a nice swift kick in the behind, and obviously this guy is a perfect candidate.

[flutterby]

Maybe you're a candidate too, being nasty and sarcastic could just make people not want to seek out any help which is what we're here for. But you obviously don't get that.

[Andrew7769]

all u are proving by being sarcastic is your immaturity that will most likely drive someone away rather than take your "advice"

-It would be the best thing for the turt to bring him to a vet as soon as possible

[cprcheetah]

Please take this baby to the vet. Let us know what happens.

[megcornell]

Mrtoughpants- You'll really want your turtle to see a vet, as is he's running the risk of serious infection and is probably in a lot of pain. To help him recover, he'll need a more appropriate set-up. By this I mean you'll need to monitor the temps by using a water heater and a thermometer, he'll also need a basking lamp (a household bulb will work). You should also seriously consider getting him a larger habitat, if you cannot afford a tank you can use a rubbermaid storage bin-- but you should get the larger tank before buying a water heater, no sense in buying a heater that will be useless in the new larger tank. With your current setup unfortunately there isn't a lot you can do to help your turtle, usually when a turtle is sick it's owner will bump the water temp up a few degrees but with no water heater you're incapable of doing that. Your best bet is a visit to the petstore and the vets- GoodLuck!

[da sAUCE!]

oh, jeez, I'm sorry that utter stupidity angers me. pff.

[cam722]

oh, jeez, I'm sorry that utter stupidity angers me. pff.

yeah it angers most of us, instead of being sarcastic and really offering no other advice maybe you should try not answering the posts that bother you so much and offer something other than sarcasm. I find that very IRRITATING... sorry folks.. just couldn't help myself

Some how daSauce you tend to always pull the attention to yourself instead of the person who asked for the help.

[da sAUCE!]

no i pull nothing, everyone's desire to play referee is what causes that.