Green (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: Rockville, SC
Arrival Date: 11/25/25
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 3.52kg (7.7 lbs)
Case History
Daffodil was found lethargic and floating in the water near Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina by concerned members of the public. When Daffodil was retrieved from the water, s/he had a moderate load of epibiota including barnacles, which her/his well-intentioned rescuers removed before the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) arrived. Barnacles are living creatures that attach to substrate by secreting a cement-like substance. Removing them can require force that could cause damage to the sea turtle’s shell and skin resulting in bone damage and infection. As a friendly PSA, you can leave the barnacles on a stranded sea turtle for us to handle once the patient is in rehabilitation.
Treatment
Upon arrival, the patient was quiet in demeanor but taking good breaths and had a steady heart rate. We began triage by weighing Daffodil and administering antibiotics, fluids and vitamins. Following this, we thoroughly cleaned the carapace and plastron, especially where there was damage from the removed barnacles. We then took radiographs and bloodwork to assess if anything else abnormal was happening internally. While we await the results from the bloodwork, the radiographs revealed that Daffodil’s gastrointestinal tract appeared abnormal. We plan to monitor any and all fecal output closely before evaluating treatment plans. In addition, Daffodil arrived with a temperature of 67 degrees Fahrenheit, and while not cold enough to be truly cold stunned, we still warmed her/him up slowly. Because of this, Daffodil went into a tank in Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery™ where we can control the water temperature of each tank individually to better match her/his body temperature and avoid shock. Daffodil was doing a great job swimming around the tank and making it to the surface to breathe. Over the next few days, we will slowly increase the water temperature of Daffodil’s tank and begin to offer food!
Updates
November 28, 2025: Daffodil has been doing very well with the gradual increase in water temperature and has even begun to eat! This is especially wonderful news as s/he is low in calcium according to the blood work results, and we are easily able to supplement calcium by placing vitamins inside the fish pieces we offer.
December 12, 2025: Daffodil has acclimated to normal water temperature and is doing great! S/he finally started eating well and is on a weighted diet of fish and veggies. Initially Daffodil seemed to have a little trouble defecating, but s/he received fluids and hasn’t had any issues since!