All Turtles Message Board

caro · Guest Joined: 05 Oct 2007 Posts: 1

I found an injured box turtle in on the road last Saturday. I brought it home and planned to take it to a wildlife rehab facility , but they are only interested in birds and deer around here. So I have done some basic first aid - cleaned the cracks daily with betadine and applied silver sulfadiazine to them. I have put a sterile 2x2 inch gauze dressing over the cracks to keep the dirt out, and made a shelter out of a cat carrier with pine wood shavings and hay. I have never had a turtle before and would like to see this one returned to the wild (if it doesn't get too comfortable!) but I would really appreciate some advice about keeping it outside during the rehab period. Does anyone know how long cracks take to repair or how I can prepare the outdoor habititat for the winter and hibernation (if it's going to take a long time)?