Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: St. Pierre’s Creek, between Bailey and Edisto Island, SC
Arrival Date: 3/31/2021
Age: Juvenile
Weight: 6.6. lbs (3.1 kgs)
Case History
Amber was found floating and struggling to dive in St. Pierre’s Creek in between Bailey and Edisto Islands. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) was contacted and SCDNR coordinator, Michelle Pate, promptly retrieved and transported this little green to us for further treatment.
Treatment
Upon arrival to the Sea Turtle Care Center™ (STCC), Amber was very lethargic and covered in a good amount of epibionts (hair algae, barnacles, ect.) growing on her carapace (top shell) and plastron (bottom shell). She received a CT, weight, blood pull and was started on fluid therapy and antibiotics. Dr. Shane did a CT scan on her to look for the presence of gas in her body, which may have been causing her float. After triage, we placed her in a small kiddie pool that we attached to her tank to allow her be in super shallow, filtered water to decompress for the night.
Update
April 7, 2021: Amber was very quiet for the first day or two that she was in our care. We started offering food, and she is eating really well on her own. She also loves her lettuce! We are closely monitoring her fecals for any plastics, or other foreign bodies, that may be passing through her GI tract.
