Six points to note when injecting a sick turtle

In recent years, artificial @#@238@#@ has gradually gained popularity, but diseases have also shown a trend of local spread. There are many ways to administer medication to prevent and treat turtle diseases, such as oral medication, applying medication, injections, and medicated baths. Once a turtle becomes ill, the treatment work is very different from that for other animals, mainly because turtles have a very hard shell. According to the author's more than ten years of breeding and production practice, the injection method is the most effective, because the medicinal liquid is injected directly into the turtle's body and absorbed quickly. However, the author reminds the majority of turtle farmers that when injecting turtles, the following points should be noted:

1. Never use long or thick needles. Turtles have little exposed muscle, and generally only the muscles at the base of the front and hind limbs are slightly larger, but the area is not large. Therefore, choose a thinner and shorter needle. The injection depth is generally about 0.5 cm for a small turtle, 0.8 cm for a medium turtle, and 1.2-1.8 cm for a large turtle.

2. The injection angle must be correct. When the turtle's limb is retracted into the shell, it is not easy to insert the needle, so first pull out the turtle's limb and straighten it, then insert the needle at a 45-degree angle to the limb. The insertion angle must not be too large, otherwise it will be forced into the bone and fascia, causing limb disability.

3. It is not advisable to inject in the neck area. The turtle's neck supports the extension and retraction of the head, and the internal fascia, nerves, and blood vessels are densely distributed. Once injured, it is prone to crooked neck or inability to retract, and sometimes the turtle's head cannot be lifted or even becomes paralyzed, thereby affecting its feeding. Sometimes a swollen neck can also cause suffocation and death.

4. Strict disinfection. In order to achieve better and faster curative effects, strict disinfection is required when injecting turtles. Some turtles suffering from severe diseases such as pneumonia, hepatitis, and enteritis may, when necessary, have drugs injected into their abdominal cavity. The local area of the turtle's body should first be disinfected with iodine tincture, and the syringe and needle should also be sterilized at high temperature to avoid introducing pathogens into the turtle's body.

5. Oral administration to turtles must be done skillfully. In winter and spring, turtles do not eat during hibernation. If oral medication is used, the method of injecting medicine into the turtle's mouth can be adopted. Solid medicine can be dissolved in warm boiled water, and then a syringe with the needle removed can be used to draw up the medicinal liquid and inject it into the turtle's mouth. The action should be slow, allowing it to swallow the liquid into its stomach. Never inject forcefully, to prevent the medicine from being shot into the trachea and causing suffocation and death.

6. The amount of medicinal liquid used should not be too much. Because turtles have small muscles, the total dosage injected at the same injection point should not be too much. In principle, it is appropriate that the muscle at the injection point does not visibly bulge. If the dosage is large, it can be divided among several injection points to avoid causing local muscle damage.