The red-eared turtle does not open its mouth. How to treat a turtle - practical advice for owners. Devices in the form of a wooden stick or strip of paper

There are many ways to unlock a turtle's jaws. The most common options are the following: press on special points and move the lower jaw; use a special device called a “yawner”; insert an ordinary match into the corner of the mouth and move the lower jaw. There are many ways to open a turtle's mouth.

Stages of mouth opening

Before the rules for how a turtle opens its mouth, it should be noted that all procedures must be carried out extremely delicately. A healthy turtle can go without food or water for more than 3 months. If it was not possible to carry out artificial feeding, then it’s okay, postpone this procedure until the next day. Under no circumstances should you rage or twitch your jaw with particular enthusiasm. The little turtle reacts extremely sensitively to such barbarism.

If the mouth opens to swallow the probe, then you need to carry out the following manipulations:

• Place the turtle in a horizontal position with its head up


• Gently open the jaws with a wooden strip


• Insert the probe without changing the position of the turtle

If the reptile is large, you will need a second pair of hands to support the pet.

How do you open a turtle's mouth to force-feed? If you do not plan to insert a tube into the stomach, then you need to do the following manipulations:

• Fixing the turtle's head


• Gently press on the points behind the ears (there are pits there)


• Move the lower jaw down

This method of opening the mouth is used when feeding a turtle. Opening the jaws, a nutrient liquid is injected using a syringe without a needle. Thick food is good for nutrition. carrot juice with vitamins and minerals dissolved in it.

Strip of paper or match

Are there other ways to open a turtle's mouth? – Yes, there is another common method:

• Fix the turtle's head


• Insert a thin strip of wood or thick paper between the jaws


• Move the lower jaw

If the pet is very small, then you can use a strip of ordinary notebook or newsprint paper.

You will need

• Salad
• Tomatoes
• Table lamp or heater
• UV lamp
• Plate or basin
• Boiled water
• Manicure tongs

Instructions

If your turtle stops eating, try to determine if it's time for her to eat. Turtles are usually active in the summer and go to bed, which is natural. But there are also exceptions. Even the Central Asian or Greek tortoises, which usually adhere to the normal for the northern hemisphere life cycle, may well fall asleep in the middle of summer to make you think about their winter menu. This happens if the turtle was eating well at the beginning of summer. The Central Asian turtle has two periods: winter and drought. In this case turtle just leave it alone. You can give her a box of dry leaves. Place the “bedroom” in a cool place where there are no drafts.

If the turtle does not hibernate, but does not eat, it may well be that what she wants is not what you are offering her. Try feeding lettuce or dandelion leaves. If the turtle remains indifferent, give something that no land turtle is usually able to refuse - a piece of tomato. If this doesn’t help, try giving your pet the right to choose. Take her out on the grass on a warm sunny day. Let her see for herself what she likes. Include whatever she chooses on the menu.

It is possible that the turtle will not choose anything. Try giving her a small piece of bread. Remember that in general you should not feed a turtle bread; it is harmful to the liver. But a small piece to whet the appetite won’t hurt; turtles even love things that are harmful to them. After bread, give salad or dandelions.

After hibernation, a turtle may want to drink rather than eat. Pour water into a saucer and place it in front of the turtle. Some turtles do not eat after hibernation because their intestines are full. In this case, give the turtle a “bath”. Pour warm boiled water into a bowl or plate, depending on the size of the turtle. The water temperature should be slightly above room temperature. Carefully place the turtle in the water. This must be done so that the nostrils are above the water. This procedure will help solve two problems. Maybe the turtle is just thirsty, then he will get drunk right away. A 10-minute bath is usually enough. But it may also happen that the turtle immediately gets rid of what is in its intestines. Then you need to wash it, take it out and dry it.

Even a very hungry land turtle will not eat if the temperature environment below 18°C. Her digestive enzymes simply don't work. Therefore, warm the turtle and the room in which it is located. Place a regular table lamp or heater. At lower temperatures, the food in the turtle's stomach is not digested and may begin to rot.

There are several ways to open a turtle's mouth. The following options are considered the most suitable: the lower jaw is lowered by pressing on special points; the mouth opens with the help of a special device called a “yawner”; force the turtle's mouth to open using an ordinary match inserted into the corner of its mouth. Naturally, there are other methods, but these are the simplest and easiest to implement.

Before embarking on such an action, you should plan everything well and remember that serious efforts should not be made. Everything needs to be done so that the turtle decides to open its mouth. It is necessary to remember one more point: if it was not possible to force-feed the turtle, then this is not at all scary, since it can be without food long time(up to 3 months). If you didn’t succeed today, you will succeed tomorrow and so on, but you can always try. Moreover, this leads to the development of skills that may be useful in the future.

To install a probe for a turtle, you will have to do the following steps:

• The turtle is in an upright position, head up.
• They try to open her mouth with the help of a wooden object.
• The probe is inserted carefully and carefully, without changing the position of the animal.

If the turtle is large in size, then you should use an assistant.

To simply feed the animal, you can do the following steps:

• Secure your pet's head.
• Do not press too hard on the points behind the ears.
• After this, the lower jaw is lowered down.

Then they begin to force-feed, armed with a syringe without a needle. A nutrient liquid (carrot juice with vitamin supplements) is drawn into the syringe. Food should not be introduced in large portions and mainly onto the turtle’s tongue.

Strip of paper or match

There is another one, no less effective option, helping to open the turtle's mouth. Here he is:

• The turtle's head is fixed.
• A wooden stick or piece of thick paper is inserted between the jaws.
• Light pressure on the lower jaw opens the turtle's mouth.

In this case, it all depends on the age of the pet. If it is a small turtle, then you need to take a piece of thick paper, and if it is an adult, then a wooden stick will not hurt.

It is possible to unclench the jaws of an animal with the help of an ordinary match. To do this, the tip of the match (without the wax head) is inserted into the corner of the mouth. After this, you should try to unclench her jaws. At the same time, you should press on the lower jaw, since it is mobile. The upper jaw is firmly connected to the skull and is motionless. Therefore, all operations should be performed only on the lower jaw.

How big does a land turtle grow?

To understand how to open a turtle’s mouth at home, you need to use several techniques, which we will describe below. There are several ways in which opening the mouth will be possible. This action can be performed if:

• Press on the desired points, the lower jaw will begin to lower.
• Use a special device - a “yawner”.
• Insert a match into the corner of the turtle's mouth, and thus force the reptile to open its mouth.

There are many other options, but the above methods are the simplest and most effective.

Stages of opening a turtle's mouth

Before starting the process, you need to take into account that in the process of opening the turtle’s mouth, the main thing is not to overdo it. It is necessary to ensure that your pet decides to open his mouth. It should also be taken into account that a turtle can live up to three months without food. Therefore, if you fail, you should not be upset. Maybe next time you will succeed and opening your mouth will be successful.

Stages of installing a probe for a turtle:

• Position the reptile vertically, with the head facing up.
• Using a wooden device, try to open your mouth.
• Insert the probe very carefully. The position of the animal cannot be changed.

If your pet turtle is of impressive size, then you should get someone's help.

If you need to simply feed your pet, you need to do the following:

• Fix the turtle's head.
• Gently press on the points located behind the reptile's ears.
• Lower your lower jaw down.

Devices in the form of a wooden stick or strip of paper

You can also use one more, enough in a good way. To do this you need:

• Fix the reptile's head.
• Insert a wooden stick or strip of paper between the turtle's jaws.
• Apply gentle pressure, after which the turtle’s mouth should open.

The device should be chosen based on the age of the pet. If the individual is an adult, you need to take a stick, and if the turtle is young, then a piece of paper will be enough.

You can open the turtle's mouth with an ordinary match. To do this, you need to insert the tip of a match, which does not contain sulfur, into the corner of the reptile’s mouth. Next, you need to try to open your mouth by pressing on the lower jaw. Since it is a moving part of the body, all attempts should be made with the lower part of the mouth. However, you must remember to be extremely careful and careful not to harm your beloved pet.

On our website we paid a fair amount of attention to the topic of turtle diseases - look for this publication. However, as experience shows, and as can be seen from the comments left by you, our readers, not always and not everyone has the opportunity to treat a pet in a veterinary clinic. Some people cannot go there for procedures every day, and for others, treatment at the clinic is unaffordable. However, this does not mean that you have to watch your pet suffer and die. Not at all. We encourage you to learn how to administer medications prescribed by your veterinarian yourself. The last one is very important point, because Prescribing a course of treatment should still be done by a specialist.

So, today in our publication we will talk to you O in different ways introducing medications into the body of a sick turtle, and consider how to learn how to do it correctly, independently at home…

Methods of administering drugs to turtles

So, your pet is sick, the veterinarian has made an accurate diagnosis and prescribed the appropriate course of treatment for you (very often turtle diseases arise due to non-compliance with recommendations for their maintenance, read more about the conditions in which they should live red-eared turtles read). As a rule, most often this is taking pills or injections. But, every time you take the turtle for an injection to veterinary clinic, or visiting a specialist 3 times a day so that he can give the pet medicine is not very convenient. Yes, and disturbing a sick creature that needs peace and quiet is not very right. Therefore, you and I, as conscious and loving owners of our pets, will have to learn how to independently carry out these simple medical procedures. And now we will tell you how to do it correctly...

How to give a turtle a pill

Oral administration of medication into the turtle’s body is a fairly common method of treating many diseases. The drug itself and its dosage, as well as the frequency of administration, should be determined by a specialist, based on the diagnosis of your pet, its condition, size and body weight. Perhaps a large turtle will need to be given a whole tablet, and a small one will need to be given ¼ of it. In any case, you will have to try very hard to prevent the turtle from spitting out the medicine and biting your finger.

Gently fix your pet's head with your fingers and open his mouth. If the turtle is not large, then you can open its mouth using a strip of thick paper, which you insert into its mouth from the front. If you have a large turtle, its mouth can be opened using a small spatula, which you insert into its mouth with the narrow end forward in the direction from bottom to top. Proceed very carefully and carefully so as not to inadvertently damage the animal’s oral cavity. When the spatula is in the turtle's mouth, gently rotate it perpendicularly so that the turtle cannot close its mouth while administering the medicine.

To ensure that the tablet does not damage the mucous surfaces of the turtle’s oral cavity, if there are no contraindications in the instructions, it will be more convenient to first dissolve it in a small amount of boiled water. warm water, draw the resulting solution into a syringe without a needle and carefully, trying not to injure the pet, gradually introduce the medicine. Make sure that the turtle does not choke by administering the medicine slowly.

If the tablet cannot be dissolved (this is written in the instructions and this has been confirmed by the veterinarian), try to grind it into powder, and using another spatula (the powder can be placed on its tip) introduce the medicine into the turtle’s mouth, then turn the first spatula and gently squeeze the jaws turtle so that it can swallow the powder rather than spit it out.

During all your manipulations, try not to be nervous - your nervousness is transmitted to the sick pet and he also begins to worry, act slowly, but confidently. As practice shows, after several procedures, if the turtle does not get used to your manipulations, it will treat them more calmly, and it will be easier for you to orally introduce medicine into its body.

How to give injections to a turtle

In order for the medicine to work faster, the veterinarian may prescribe not taking it orally, but administering it by injection. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, and giving an injection to turtles is as easy as giving it to, say, cats (find out). The main thing is to follow certain instructions and follow the rules, which we will tell you about below.

It is preferable to use disposable syringes with a capacity of 2 and 5 milliliters to administer the medicine; they have a thin needle that easily pierces the skin of the animal. If a larger volume of medication is administered to the turtle, the needle can be moved to a larger syringe.

It is very important to follow the recommendations regarding storage of the medicine and follow temperature regime. Since failure to comply with it renders the medicine unusable and then becomes useless. The same can be said about those situations when you do not draw up a whole syringe, and there is still some medicine left in the ampoule. If it can be stored, you can reuse the ampoule. But, if the medicine is not intended for storage, it is not recommended to use it to introduce it into the body of a sick turtle. Instead of benefit and recovery, it can worsen the condition of a sick pet.

Insert the syringe needle into the ampoule and make sure that it does not touch its walls; carefully draw out the medicine. Even if it seems to you that there is only this in the syringe, and there is not a drop of air - lift the needle up and release a little medicine until it flows in a trickle - this way you will be absolutely sure that you are injecting the turtle with medicine and only medicine. If you gained more volume medicine, what the vet prescribed for you - release it from the syringe. If there is a shortage of medicine, it is necessary to get it, since the success of treatment depends on maintaining the accuracy of the dosage. If you notice air bubbles stuck to the walls of your syringe, all you have to do to remove them is tap the syringe with your finger.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that some medicines for injections are produced not in liquid form, but in powder form, and they must be dissolved. Carefully read in the instructions for the drug how to dissolve such a medicine - novocaine, sodium chloride solution. Using ordinary boiled water for these purposes is strictly prohibited.

If you need to dissolve the medicine, first shake the ampoule with it and tap it with your finger so that the powder is at the bottom. Then, carefully open the ampoule at the point where it narrows and break off the tip (it is better to cover it with cotton wool or cloth so as not to injure your fingers). Draw the specified amount of solvent into the syringe and release it into the ampoule with the medicine, mix them thoroughly and re-draw the resulting mixture into the syringe. Since you have already carried out certain manipulations with the needle, and it may have become dull, it is recommended to change the needle before the injection (for diluted medications it is better to take a needle with a large hole).

The turtle should be in a horizontal position at the time of the injection, and it will be better if one of your loved ones takes it in their arms. Unlike dogs and cats, which do not need to wipe their skin with alcohol before injection (at least, many veterinarians do not do this), the skin of a turtle will need to be wiped with iodine or alcohol at the site of the future injection. For the injection site, you need to choose a place where you will not get into the blood vessels, and to make sure that you do not get into them, after inserting the needle under the skin, you can slightly pull the plunger of the syringe toward you. If blood appears in the syringe after this, it means the needle is in blood vessel. In this case, it is not necessary to remove the needle and stick it in again; it will be enough to push it a little deeper.

The medicine should be administered slowly and gradually, and before removing the needle, press on the skin near the injection site with a piece of cotton wool, which will also be soaked in alcohol - this will reduce the pain from the injection and prevent infection from entering the open injection site.

After you remove the needle, swelling may occur in the place where you injected the medicine - do not be alarmed, the medicine has collected under the skin and you just need to massage it for a few minutes to quickly distribute it throughout the turtle's tissues.

It is quite obvious that a turtle may act restless during an injection, but you must be patient and treat the animal with understanding. It’s not easy for him now either.

Video on how to inject a turtle

Today we looked at the practical topic of how to treat a turtle, how to give it pills and injections. We hope that you will not have to use these recommendations in practice, however, if such a need arises, you will be able to help your pet.

Have you ever given your turtle medication? Make injections? Share with us your experiences, stories, and, of course, photos of your pets.