Green (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Arrival Date: 5/15/2024
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 2.89 kg (6.37 lbs)
Case History
This juvenile green sea turtle was found floating in Shem Creek and concerned members of the public contacted South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to rescue her/him. Our many thanks to everyone who helped get this turtle to the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center™ safely!
Treatment
Upon arrival, the patient was very quiet, had a heavy epibiont load and a fracture to the carapace. Radiographs were taken to identify potential foreign bodies in Grits’ gastrointestinal system as well.
Grits was placed in a kiddie pool and was very active, so we decided to try a swim test in a shallow tank. This little green immediately showed severe buoyancy problems, so s/he was placed back in the kiddie pool where s/he could safely rest. When sea turtles display buoyancy issues some causes can be pneumonia, air trapped in the body cavity from an injury like a boat strike or lung tear or gas in the gastrointestinal tract. Based on what we observed on the radiograph, Grits’ problem likely lies in the latter option. With time, hydration and closely observed swim tests, the turtle’s digestive tract should begin to work normally and eventually her/his buoyancy will start to even out. Until then, Grits will be recovering in a kiddie pool.
Updates
June 15, 2024: Our previously floaty friend, Grits, has made lots of progress in the past couple of weeks! Thankfully, after Grits’ hydration improved with fluids and her/his metabolism and digestion kicked in, things began moving through her/his gut! Not only did Grits pass all of the snails and other digested material, but the gas trapped in her/his gut has passed as well. This means that Grits is no longer buoyant and in need of a kiddie pool. This patient’s energy level and appetite has greatly improved, speeding up the road to recovery!
July 15, 2024: Grits is recovering well! Overall, Grits has pretty good appetite and is no longer floating at the surface. We did notice that s/he was a little gassy and even though s/he is able to rest her/his front flippers on the bottom, Grits’ backend sat above at a 45-degree angle. This abnormal buoyancy posture told us that her/his gut still needed some help with digestion. Grits was prescribed probiotics with her/his daily diet to help the intestines digest the protein and veggies easier and help minimize excess gas. Luckily, Grits is pretty good about taking this new oral medication and will hopefully have a happy gut soon!
August 15, 2024: Grits’ gut is making progress! Grits’ buoyancy has been consistently neutral and her/his GI tract is starting to process the protein and veggie diet much better. Grits is now gradually putting on some much-needed weight! Grits has always had a pretty good appetite but is picky about solid vitamins. Fortunately, making the switch to liquid vitamin and GI medication instead of pills to hide in Grits’ diet has paid off well, and Grits eats the diet with supplements without an issue.
September 15, 2024: Grits’ has finished all medications and is fully digesting veggies! Grits has a bit more weight gain to go to meet the goal weight for release clearance. Otherwise, the turtle is eating great, defecating regularly and interactive with the rotating enrichment items. Come visit Grits soon!
September 25, 2024: Grits was released into the protected saltmarsh of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge! Good luck, Grits!