Green (Chelonia mydas)
Stranding Location: Hilton Head Island, SC
Arrival Date: 12/8/24
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 2.06 kg (4.53 lbs)
Case History
On a chilly Sunday, this juvenile green sea turtle stranded in the surf on Hickory Forest Beach in the Port Royal Sound. Permitted South Carolina Department of Natural Resources volunteers responded to and transported this new patient to the Aquarium.
Treatment
Upon arrival, Marmalade, was fairly active and feisty, which isn’t common for a cold-stunned sea turtle! When a cold-stunned patient comes in, it is important to warm them up slowly to prevent shock. Thankfully, Marmalade was only 64 degrees Fahrenheit, so we didn’t have to warm her/him up by much (since the goal temperature is about 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit). When a patient’s body temperature is too low, they cannot process medications so Marmalade was set up for the night in a comfortable bin to slowly warm up!
The next day, Marmalade’s body temperature was exactly where we wanted to see it! We administered antibiotics and placed Marmalade in a tank to test her/his swimming abilities. Overall, Marmalade did pretty well! S/he was a little buoyant at first, but after defecating, Marmalade was able to rest comfortably on the bottom.
Updates
December 11, 2024: After a few days we took a blood sample to give us a better idea of what types of medications Marmalade may need. Part of Marmalade’s treatment plan was to get a CT scan to review the internal organs. Since Marmalade was such an active little patient (even with some sedation!), we opted to try again another day.
December 15, 2024: We have started offering food but Marmalade has not shown interest in it yet. It is not unexpected when our patients don’t eat in their first few days in rehabilitation. Here’s to hoping Marmalade will start eating for us soon!
January 15, 2025: Marmalade took a few days to begin eating again, but once s/he started, we realized that Marmalade is a really picky eater! At first, we had to offer pieces of sea turtle “candy” (squid) to entice Marmalade to start eating. Now, Marmalade is eating regularly without needing squid, and is even seeming to love veggies more than fish.