A turtle shell bleeding can be a relatively serious thing. It means there is something wrong with the turtle somewhere and if proper care isn’t taken, it can lead to very dire consequences for your turtle. You wouldn’t want this happening to your turtle.
You might be a little curious about why your turtle shell is bleeding. You might also want to know how to help a turtle with a bleeding shell. You do not need to worry much. We will be giving you all the answers you need so you would know what to do when your notice your pet turtle has a bleeding shell.
How to Help a Turtle With a Bleeding Shell
There are different things you can do to help your turtle the moment you notice that your turtle is having a bleeding shell. Below are first aid tips for a turtle with a bleeding shell.
Step 1: Gentle move the injured or bleeding turtle into a box
This is the first thing you need to do the moment you run into a bleeding shell turtle. You have to take your time to gently push the turtle into the box as it is the only way you can move it to a place where it would get the required help it needs.
When moving the turtle, you need to be very gentle in order to prevent inflicting further injury on the turtle. You can go use a stick to gently guide the turtle into a box.
Once you have successfully done this, you can then use a towel or a cloth to cover the head of the turtle. The darkness should help the turtle calm down.
Step 2: Inspect or check the injury
This is the next thing you need to do the moment you have successfully moved the turtle into a box. You have to take your time to gently check the shell or the injury to know if it is a very serious injury. If the bleeding is light, you can leave the turtle in a ventilated place while you go get a vet.
On the other hand, if the bleeding is serious, you might have to give the turtle first aid. This should help slow down the bleeding while you can call a specialist to help you fix your bleeding turtle shell problem.
Step 3: Use a clean cloth to press the injury
Once you have checked the level of injury, the next thing you need to do is to gently apply pressure on the injury with a cloth. The right pressure often helps to slow bleeding down and sometimes relieves the amount of pain the turtle might feel.
Use a cloth to lightly apply the right amount of pressure on your turtle. If a cloth doesn’t work, you can make use of your baking power as it is another tool that helps to slow down the rate of bleeding on an injury. While doing all these, ensure you are trying to reach out to a vet as they can offer the best possible care.
Step 4: Clean the wound
With the bleeding much reduced, you can focus on cleaning the wound of the turtle. Cleaning the wound will help as it will reduce the chances of your turtle getting an infection. Apart from reducing the chances of an infection, a simple cleaning can sometimes stop the bleeding on the shell.
It can only be possible to clean the wound when you are sure that the bleeding has stopped. If the bleeding is still ongoing, it becomes a little complicated for you to clean the wound. It is very much advisable for you to call the vet the moment you notice that your turtle is bleeding.
Step 5: Allow soaking in shallow water
While it is not advisable to give the turtle water or food, allowing your turtle to soak in shallow water after you can clean up the injury is one thing that will make your turtle happy. You need to take your time to allow your turtle to soak in shallow waters for some days.
We recommend soaking in shallow waters for some reasons. One of them is because it isn’t safe for your turtle to swim in a tank full of water as it might affect the shell. Having it soak in shallow waters will help with hydration and a host of things.
Step 6: Contact a veterinary
While this might be the last point, it is the first thing you should consider doing the moment you see a bleeding turtle. Contacting the veterinary to come to check the turtle out will save you a lot of stress and wrong administration.
A lot of people have done more harm than good to their bleeding turtle by choosing to treat it themselves instead of calling a vet. This often resulted in their turtle getting an infection. If you want to save yourself money, you should call a vet as soon as possible the moment you notice that your turtle shell is bleeding.
Why Is My Turtle Shell Bleeding?
There are a couple of reasons why your turtle shell might be bleeding. Below is a list of reasons you should consider.
– Infection
If there is one thing that can make a turtle shell bleed or rot, it is infection. There are different types of bacterial infections a turtle can get. The moment it gets any of these infections, the shell will begin to rot with time.
You need to check out for signs of possible infections daily from your turtle if you are looking to prevent your turtle shell from bleeding. You also need to regularly treat and immunize your turtle so it will be strong enough to fight infections.
– Heavy Objects
While this seems unlikely, you should know that it is still very much a possibility. If you notice that your turtle is bleeding, it could be possible that a heavy object fell on it while it was basking outdoor.
How Do I Prevent my Turtle Shell from Bleeding?
There are a lot of things you can do to prevent your turtle shell from bleeding. The first thing you need to do is prevent your turtle from getting an infection. This can be easily done by keeping the turtle house clean at all times. Apart from keeping the house clean, make sure you keep regular appointments with your vet.
Once you have done this, the next thing you should do is to remove harmful objects that can cause damage to your turtle. If you take your time to remove all these objects, the chances of something heavy falling on your turtle is pretty much reduced.
Lastly, take your time and isolate your turtle from other turtles. There is a possibility that other turtles might be infected and if you keep your turtle in the same place, it might pick up one or two infections that could make the turtle shell rot or bleed.
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Conclusion
There are a lot of things you need to do the moment you notice that your turtle shell is bleeding. The first thing you should do is to contact a vet. Do not wrongly assume that the turtle is dead because the injury is serious, Turtles are known to be strong animals and they can survive the worst of accidents.
