Editor’s Note: The Common Snapping Turtle is part of the CROW CAW (Case A Week) series, which tells the stories of the patients at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island, the dangers they face, and how we can help protect all of our wildlife. Read previous cases here.
Patient 24-4779 is a female Common Snapping Turtle. Common snapping turtles help keep our waterways clean by eating diseased and decaying animals. They also help spread seeds throughout wetland ecosystems.
A concerned citizen brought this common snapping turtle to CROW after seeing her get hit by a car. Part of the snapping turtle’s shell was scraped off by the car. Her wound was deep enough to expose the membrane that protects her body cavity. A turtle’s spinal cord runs through its shell, making it especially sensitive to contact and injury.
As part of wildlife care and rehabilitation, CROW is a teaching and research hospital. Our staff continually learns leading-edge techniques and treatments. At a recent seminar, CROW’s hospital staff learned about a new bandage technique being used to treat sea turtle injuries. Since sea turtles cannot be out of the water for extended periods, their wound treatment must be waterproof. As common snapping turtles are also aquatic, this was an opportune time to use the new bandage technique. During the intake exam, CROW’s staff administered pain medicine and cleaned and bandaged the wound.
Wounds to turtle shells take a long time to heal, and patient 24-4779’s recovery is underway. CROW’s hospital staff continues to flush her wound and reapply the bandaging. The patient is doing laps around the perimeter of her pool enclosure and showing improvement, little by little, each day.
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