Turtles

Anonymous:

Taking my adopted turtle to the vet for the first time because the fussy little man hasn’t eaten anything in a month. Any tips for turtle vet trips? My turt hasn’t traveled since I adopted him several years ago, so I wanna make sure he’s comfy on the drive! It’s chilly here in Ohio right now and he’s a Red-Eared Slider.

Hi! Well in general you want to keep him warm. I’m in Massachusetts so I totally feel ya on the chilly part. I usually use one of those heat patches (non chemical) that you can get at the pharmacy and stick it inside the carrier where it can make heat but not directly touch them.

I have a medium-sized weekend bag I use to transport Zoya, it has a pocket and I usually put the heat pack in there or on the side of the bag. I then put a big blanket inside. you’ll want to take it out and let it start warming up a bit before putting it in the carrier. it takes like 10/15 min to heat up.

Some torts are fine with car rides some are not. You’ll want to be able to close it up some so no escapes happen mid-car ride. I like to give Zoya the option to burrow down and hide in the blankets. In general, keeping them from being overstimulated by all the outside stuff is the best way to reduce stress.. so they feel like they’re just sleeping. 

With Zoya, sometimes she sleeps, sometimes she looks out of the corners like a curious tort, and sometimes ( definitely the first time) she didn’t like it and ended up peeing all over the blanket . So I would also bring a towel or separate blanket for clean up/switch out on the way home. Either way, you want them safe, warm, and and to minimize stress as much as possible. 

I hope this helps! Maybe others have some suggestions?