HELP NEEDED IMMEDIATELY! Rescued turtle!

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Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

Thats why I was wondering if there was any road construction in the area because they tar over the layers of asphalt, maybe it got caught in the road when they were doing that.

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Actually, now that you just said that, I just remember noticing that the church parking lot behind my house got newly paved. My yard's back corner has a hole in it leading to that area; he could have easily wandered in from there. I didn;t think that was a few weeks ago though, but maybe that's just when I noticed it.. other than that, can't think of anything.

Yeah that is good, but id hang out rather close so he doesnt end up flipping himself.

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Originally Posted by OctagonGecko729

Be gentle with the scrubbing, if it was hot tar he is likely burned and I have no idea what kind of damage might be under it. If you know a good exotic vet, it wouldnt be a bad idea to take him in.

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Unfortunately, I don't know of any exotic vets in my area. :/ I'm in South MS, and the extend of the local "exotic" vet is basic stuff for hamsters, rabbits, and maybe some bird. You bring a reptile in and it's like "um.."
At least with snakes... Maybe they have more turtle knowledge. I can always call and ask, also there are several wildlife rescue center and reserves around.

Any chance that the tar ran off into a water source around you guys? Tar is very sticky at first and I'd expect all kinds of junk to be stuck on him if it was tar. It looks more like oil or runoff tar.

I have him sitting right beside me. Thankfully he's big enough that any time he flips over he just stretches his neck out and turns himself off the sides of the bucket

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Originally Posted by OctagonGecko729

Any chance that the tar ran off into a water source around you guys? Tar is very sticky at first and I'd expect all kinds of junk to be stuck on him if it was tar. It looks more like oil or runoff tar.

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No, we have no water sources right around where I'm at. We have a small man-made pond in our backyard, but the water's clean and we have a pump for it and check it regularly.

Well, we do have a water source, a bay/bayou set up, but it's far down the road from the church parkinglot.

What does opening/closing of the mouth at random intervals and deep breaths mean? The little pouch on the bottom of his throat is bowing in and out. Forgive me if this is normal, I literally have zero experience with turtles / tortoises. He's not consistently taking deep breaths, just nnow and then. Should I be concerned?

Edit: maybe he just got soap in his mouth?

Its hard to tell without a video but that sounds like normal turtle breathing.

Turtles typically breath through their noses so if his nostrils are clogged, you may be seeing him take air in through his mouth. Or he could have soap in his mouth like you said.

If you feel up to it, you can take a tooth brush to his shell. I used to use old tooth brushes to get algae off my turtles' shells.

And I'm pretty sure that is not a snapper.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...61941558_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/h...25432462_n.jpg

My progress after one scrub. He's soaking again now in new water. He DESTROYED a brillo pad into shreds.

I also worked my fingers over his feet and got some sludge from between his toes.

Is he a box turtle?