In turtles, especially in land tortoises, traumatic injuries are quite frequent. Carapace lesions are particularly common and are usually caused by accidents with lawnmowers or by crushing under electric doors or car wheels; this said, soft tissue traumas may also be significant, as well as frequent.
MATING LESIONS
In females, cloacal injuries are not rare; these are ulcerations of the cloaca and tail which result from repeated matings and are caused by the male’s horny spur (Fig. 1). The phenomenon is very common especially in the Testudo hermanni species (Fig. 2) when the number of females per male is too low or when the space available is insufficient. The continuous insult by the male organ may be the cause of inflammation, with consequent cloacitis, often followed by the formation of ulcers, even severe ones, often with superimposed secondary bacterial infections. Bite wounds, caused by particularly aggressive male specimens, may be found on the legs, tail and neck of females or of smaller males. In aquatic turtles, especially in the Trachemys spp., neck lesions causedby male bites during mating or by the bulging of the cranial scutes of the carapace are quite frequent (Fig. 3).
BITE WOUNDS
Bite wounds are usually caused by dogs which attack tortoises reared outdoors; these are almost always accompanied by traumatic lesions of the carapace, even severe ones; the soft tissue injuries initially encountered usually involve the limbs and tail. Very frequent, especially in tortoises that hibernate outdoors, are bite wounds from rodents, which find in the hibernating tortoise a hearty and helpless meal at their disposal. Rat bite wounds initially affect the limbs (Fig. 4), which close the chelonian inside its shell, and are characterized by a more or less severe loss of substance and by extremely irregular margins. The dormant animal may suffer severe injuries; at times there can even be the death of the tortoise and emptying of the entire shell. Not uncommon is the loss of entire limb segments, starting from the nails (Fig. 5). These injuries can easily become infected and in severe cases they may result in osteomyelitis or septicaemia.
OTHER LESIONS
Free-living animals, especially those living in gardens, may suffer limb, head or neck wounds resulting from accidents with cutting surfaces or barbed wire.
TREATMENT
Recent wounds, with limited substance loss, may be sutured; more extensive and older lesions require the careful removal of the necrotic tissue and the healing of the wound by second intention. Wound lavage is with sterile saline and antiseptics; for more contaminated wounds, honey or sugar may be used. To facilitate wound healing, collagen tablets or cicatrizing creams may be used, possibly with the addition of topical antibiotics; when necessary, the animal will have to undergo a systemic antibiotic therapy.