Need some Box Turtle first-aid advice
As I was driving home tonight I noticed the vehicles in front of me swerving to miss something. As I approached I noticed it was a lone box turtle. So being the good person I try to be, I stopped and picked it up.
When I got it home I see why it was aimlessly wandering around the road..both of it's eyes are swelled shut. I tried wetting them and gently massaging them open, and they're sealed shut.
The turtle is pretty weak, I guess from not being able to see for foraging. So she's pretty calm when I am working on her. I did manage to get one eye loose, and flushed it out with saline. I have sensitive eyes and can't stand the regular chemical filled contact solution.
The eyes are bulged out and filled with an egg-white consistency fluid and there is also a white cheesy substance as well within the eyelid. Neither of them have an odor to them that I can tell.
Right now I've got her in a container on a UTH to keep her warm. I'd like to get her healed up and return her to the wild. I don't wish to keep an already threatened species captive.
Is there anything I can topically do for her eyes?
Is there anything that I can feed her to get her strength back up?
And also, is this a common problem with box turtles? I've seen it on one other turtle but it only had it in one eye.
And what is it?
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