The correct way to give a turtle an injection and practical tips

Technicians at the Longtouge Amphibian and Reptile Research Institute in Haining City, Zhejiang Province, have summarized from practice the key tips for injecting turtles: for the muscles at the base of the front and hind limbs, choose a thinner and shorter needle; the depth is 0.5 cm for small turtles, 0.8 cm for medium turtles, and 1.2-1.8 cm for large turtles.

Insert the needle at a 45-degree angle to the limb, and first pull the turtle's limb out and straighten it. Do not choose the neck area for injection, to avoid injuring the fascia, nerves, and blood vessels. For diseases such as pneumonia, hepatitis, and enteritis, the drug can be injected into the abdominal cavity when necessary. Before injection, the syringe and needle must be sterilized at high temperature, and the local area of the turtle's body disinfected with iodine tincture.

When administering medicine into the turtle's mouth, remove the needle, proceed slowly, and let it swallow; do not inject quickly, to prevent the medicine from entering the trachea and causing suffocation and death. Do not inject too much medicinal liquid into a muscle; it is best if no obvious bulge appears. If the dose is large, it can be divided among several injection points to avoid local muscle damage.