#chelonian

[great-and-small]

Anyone who works with wildlife will tell you it’s a good thing for wild patients to show hostility towards humans even after a long stay in the hospital, and honestly I think snapping turtles might be the best at this. We surgically repaired this little dude’s broken mandible and provided care in hospital for a few months but bless his heart he never stopped hating my fucking guts. Even with a broken jaw he’d snap at me so viciously whenever I had to give him meds and I love him like a son

This feisty creature’s implant was removed once he’d healed and he was successfully released back into the wild near where he was found. Good luck out there bud, I sincerely hope every wildlife patient I ever see going forward has your disdain for humans!

(These photos were taken while the patient’s enclosure was being cleaned, and he was never handled without medical or husbandry cause)

[pazzesco]

Turbo Terrapin!

Cowabunga dude... Cat's like, what did he have for breakfast?

[tort-time]

Humom had to go away for a week so I got to spend it at my vacation home (aka grandmas house!) it’s not so bad really.. look at all this clover I have to eat before she gets back! Hard work but someone’s got to do it!

[jadeseadragon]

Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (February 16, 1834 – 1919), Chelonia

1: Leatherback Turtle

2: Hawksbill Turtle

3: Argentine Snake-necked Turtle

4: Mata mata

5: Geometric Tortoise

6: Galápagos Tortoise

7: Common Snapping Turtle

[circadiancrunch]

Found in some scrap stuff! I was definitely exploring some D&D adoptables. Turtle folk and Kolbolds The little ratty lookin one on top is pretty cute

[herps-and-noods]

Adorable sulcata from work today. Everyone loves him, and he is such a sweet boy! 😊

[jaycrawler]

She is such a natural model 🐢

[jihyo-x]

jus wanted to show eryone my babie nap

[hippieghost]

Sheldon is a hungry boy

[zenontheturtle]

Morning bubbles on head moment

Music credit:

Music: Redline

Musician: EnjoyMusic

Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

[animaee]

The Fernandina Island Fantastic Giant Galapagos tortoise, previously thought extinct, is… not!! Genome sequencing confirms that there are two known surviving animals.

[tort-time]

I’m 14 now and I got birthday cactus pads! I nomed them all with my party hat on! Then I took it off and went outside. Can’t have anything get in the way of my birthday stomps and sunshine!

[ketharsis]

Seeing post bath refuge with the Labrador 💕

[autoacafiles]

[the-awkward-turt]

Hi friend! I have a male Reeves turtle that's ~29 years old- His name is Ollie - and I'm wondering what a good weight is for him. He's currently 285 grams and there's no fatty protrusions from his openings when he pulls his arms and legs in, but he seems to be seeking out food more than in the past. Thanks for the info and have a great day! -Rich

Hey Rich! Wow--I don't personally know of many turtles as old as Ollie. He has had a good long life (though, knowing turtles, it's very possible that he still has many good years ahead of him).

As I'm sure you know, it can be hard to gauge whether a turtle is at a healthy weight since so much of their body is in the shell. One way is to look at the arms, legs, and tail--do they look skinny/sunken or are they filled out with appropriate muscle and fat deposits? You can also look at the skin between the front legs and the head--it should go more or less straight across, not be deeply sunken in and hollow-looking (underweight) or bulging out between the neck and legs (overweight).

Often the first sign of declining health in a turtle is losing weight and a decreased appetite--so I wouldn't be terribly worried about him seeking out more food. It's possible that he is hungrier due to environmental changes (change in temperature, light cycle, seasons, etc.).

If you want a numeric way to measure his health, I highly recommend weighing him regularly. This will let you spot a concerning decline in weight faster than you may have noticed it from visual cues alone. Especially with an older turtle who might be more vulnerable to stress and illness.

I hope that helps! Happy to answer other questions too.

[blackberrycreekblog]

Update on Oscar: The vet team said he did pretty well today but was still very sleepy. According to the resident, “He just hung out with us and napped a lot!” 😆 Not surprising since his body is still recovering from the surgery and whole ordeal of the giant stone. He finished day one of two of his fluid treatments, receiving sub-q fluids under his skin. He is urinating but still not defecating, which is important for him to do soon to get his system restarted since the obstruction is now gone. They made him a nice salad, but he still won’t eat, so tomorrow they will sedate him again to place a feeding tube. Once stable in another day or two, he will hopefully be able to come home with the feeding tube in so we can easily administer medication and make sure he’s getting the nutrients he needs while his body recovers. Unlike a bird or mammal, it is nearly impossible to get medication orally into a tortoise who refuses since they can basically lock their jaws and pull their heads in! Thank you to all who have donated toward Oscar’s emergency visit over the weekend and his hospitalization, surgery, and medicine this week at UCD. We also appreciate all the kind messages and everyone who has been checking in on him. He sure is loved! #sulcata #sulcatatortoise #tortoisesofinstagram #vetmed #exoticvet #veterinarymedicine #reptilemedicine #chelonian #cutie #littlemuffin #oscar (at Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClnVXaMuNRF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=