Urgent Care :: Neck Wound

[puiyanpuiyan]

Hi,
This poor baby turtle was bitten by one of the other five after I started feeding them carrots.
I immediately changed them to a bigger tank, apply Neosporin twice a day and let it air dry for about an hour afterwards before putting him back in the tank.
But it's been like two weeks now and I don't see big improvement.
I stopped the carrots and did not see any more biting from the tank.
But....is Neosporin good enough? Am I not drying his wound long enough? Any thing else I should buy to promote faster wound healing?
He's behaving like there's nothing wrong with his neck, appetite & activity is great, except this poor thing is more shy than the others.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Do you think the wound has healed at all any amount? Id increase the amount of time he stays out of the water. Maybe 5+hours. If your not seeing sign of improvement id go to a vet. They will give your something stronger to help with the healing.

[puiyanpuiyan]

Yes the wound has actually gotten better, I just got so worried seeing that big hole but it was worst before.
Can I place him under the basking light 24 hours? With water level up to the bottom part of his shell?
Or do I need a night/heating light at night to keep him warm? I live in NY and it's like 65 degrees indoors right now.

[steve]

You'd need to set up a warm place for him. You can't use a basking light with him 24/7. People have said they aren't disturbed buy those red heat bulbs but I have not tried it. You can also get ceramic heat emitters, though in my experience they are are expensive, fragile and unreliable.

I'd try to dry dock overnight so it would be the least stressful. Maybe you can use some hot water bottles to keep a small dark area warm, like a closet or bathroom.

[penelope]

Mine had a similar wound (she bit herself). Wound up getting some Silver Sulfadiazine, but that can't get in the eyes,
The neck is a tricky spot if, when retracting the head to hide, the eyes hit the wound, ergo the medicine (neosporin or otherwise).
Not saying to stop what you are doing, just check to see if it is getting in the eyes

When dry docking overnight in cold weather I have found it helpful to keep the bin off the cold floor (like on a table or something) and put some towels underneath and over the top to keep the warm air in - just have to be careful that the towels don't hit the light and create a fire hazard.
I have used the nocturnal lights, and they don't seem to cause a problem but for short term I had success putting some foil over the top and placing the regular basking light on top of it - it creates warmth without 24 / 7 light.

[puiyanpuiyan]

Thank you all for your advices!
I used the night heated light that keeps him warm to 77 degrees (the best I could do cuz I can't let the lamp get too close to the turtle) but it doesn't bother him cuz the light is barely visible. During the day he gets basking light to keep warm.
Just want to let you know the turtle is doing much better, the wound is no longer red and it's so helpful to keep him dry.
Hopefully he can join the others soon, although I wonder how long would it take for him to grow back that layer of neck skin...I can't put him back looking funny- they may attack the poor thing again!

[penelope]

So glad to hear that he is doing better!

[steve]

Skin heals much faster than the shell. You might have to consider separation if the aggression resumes.