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Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)
Stranding Location: Garden City, SC
Arrival Date: 6/16/23
Age: Juvenile
Weight: 1.95 kg (4.3 lbs)
Case History
Colby was accidentally caught at the Garden City Fishing Pier. Fortunately, the fishing line was only entangled around their right front flipper, and they were not actually hooked. Once on the pier though, it was obvious that the turtle was thin, dehydrated and had numerous abrasions on the face and body. Permit holders from the Garden City Surfside S.C.U.T.E Turtle Team responded to retrieve Colby for transport to the Sea Turtle Care Center™ for treatment.
Treatment
During intake, staff ran the usual set of diagnostics to better assess Colby’s condition. This included radiographs to confirm that there were no internal hooks. We often find that sea turtles caught from fishing piers may be repeat offenders and have multiple hooks. We were happy to find that not only was Colby just entangled and not hooked, but they had no previous internal hooks or obvious foreign bodies! They did have a large amount of crab shell material visible in the digestive tract, which was surprising with how thin they are. This may mean that the gut has not been moving for some time and is not properly digesting their food. Colby also had a very low blood glucose level, which indicates they had not eaten for a while. The turtle was given fluids with dextrose and vitamins and started on a course of antibiotics and a topical wound care ointment. Colby was active enough to move to a full hospital tank.
Update
Colby quickly acclimated to the new tank and began defecating crab shell the first day. These were all great signs, and since they did not have any hook wounds in the mouth, we were able to start offering a few pieces of food the next day. This little turtle immediately started eating, and since then has continued to defecate. We have been able to slowly increase Colby’s diet. Energy levels are up, and they are exploring the tank. Here’s to hoping for a speedy recovery for this adorable little Kemp’s!
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