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Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: Mt. Gilead Canal, Murrells Inlet, SC
Arrival Date: 5/18/2019
Age: Juvenile
Weight: 2.09 kg (4.6 pounds)
Case History
Peter Gerace found a tiny green sea turtle at the mouth of the Mt. Gilead Canal in Murrells Inlet, SC. Peter initially saw Simba struggling to dive in the water. Simba managed to make his way to a sand bar close by, and Peter was able to see how lethargic he was. Peter knew once he saw him on the sand bar something was wrong. He immediately contacted the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). SCDNR volunteer transporter, Terry Graham, met Peter and transported the turtle to the South Carolina Aquarium.
Treatment
At admit, Simba was a little lethargic, underweight, and had a medium load of epibota covering his shell. Simba’s bloodwork showed he was dehydrated and CT and x-ray images showed a lot of gas and food inside of his GI track. The vet team was able to make out food items on the left side of the body and gas build up on the right side. The GI loops looked to be very large and with the presence of all the food, vet team was concerned about a possible impaction. Impactions can be caused by natural and foreign material that has blocked the intestines. This blockage can cause a backup or potentially rupture the intestines in severe situations. Since we don’t know for sure that it is an impaction, we’re going to give Simba some time to see if everything is moving along on its own. We wanted Simba to relax his first night so, after he received fluids, antibiotics, and vitamins, he rested in a waterbed over night
Updates
May 22, 2019: The following day, Simba was put into a tank with low water. He initially was active but began to slow down after about an hour. He began to list with his right side up which matches the side he has all the gas on. We offered him a piece of food to see if he was interested in eating, and he didn’t want anything to do with it. A few days later he ate his first piece of food which can be a great sign. Although we’re concerned of an impaction the fact that he still wants food could mean that everything might be okay. Simba still hasn’t defecated, but hopefully everything will start moving along and the gas and other fecal will be pushed out!
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