Urgent Care :: Turtle bit off tip of other turtles tail.

[DocShay]

Hey guys,

Kinda heart broken right now over what I discovered. I have 2 male RES's, one 3.5 years the other 4 years. I had got them when I wasn't sure of sexes, and chose to keep them together as they didn't seem to get too aggressive with one another. As of late I noticed them "scuffing" more then usual, not just fluttering but snapping at one another as well.

Today I came home and noticed, the end of Ivans tail seemed to have a piece missing - and was very pink/red where it was missing. It's clear to me the other turtle (Leo) had done this, and I plan on giving one turtle to my local pet store tomorrow.

Will this type of injury be okay if left alone? Or what type of treatment should I start?

This is so sad, i'm very upset with the situation - I should have known better then to even attempt to keep them together.

[DocShay]

Oh, I just want to note - I figured this would be a good idea but i've taken my injured turtle and put him in a box with a towel at the bottom. Dry docking? I think the term is. I figured this would probably help his tail the best for now.

[marisa]

I'd clean the area and apply some Neosporin to it. You can do this in the evening and keep the turtle out of the water overnight. Keep applying the Neosporin in this manner until the wound starts to heal. Keep his tank water clean.

One of my Eastern Painteds did this very thing to his tankmate, and the wound did heal with applications of Neosporin, some dry tanking/docking, clean water and time. He just has a shorter than normal tail.

[DocShay]

Thanks marisa,

You've always been able to help me out on the forums here it seems. I really appreciate all the help you've given me over the years here. I applied something simmilar to neosporin yesterday to my turtles tail and docked him. I'll do that again for tonight before bed.

Said goodbye to Leo today, I was able to bring him to the original store I bought him from which was nice - they're really friendly. Really sucks, but I knew it was a gamble as soon as they were old enough I could tell they were both males. Sad to see my friend go

[marisa]

You're welcome. Sorry Leo had to go. Hopefully, he'll find a good home.

[steve]

I'm sorry to hear it