| Common Bacteria in Turtles | | | | to the cloacal opening. |
| Slow moving and hard shelled, turtles make fun pets | | | | Necrotic Stomatitis |
| but have a bit of a down side. Tortoises and turtles | | | | Commonly known as mouth rot, necrotic stomatits is |
| often suffer bacterial infections that cause disease. | | | | often caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas or |
| The good thing is that with the proper housing, | | | | Aeromonas. Mild cases can be treated by swabbing |
| nutrition, and sanitation these infections can be | | | | the infected area with diluted Betadine. However, a |
| avoided for the most part. Being familiar with the | | | | more advanced case needs to be treated with |
| different types of bacterial infections that your turtle | | | | antibiotics. Turtle ailments like a poor jaw alignment or |
| or tortoise could succumb to is an important part of | | | | mouth injury predispose them to mouth rot. |
| keeping your slow moving friend feeling good. | | | | Pneumonia |
| Eye infections and conjunctivitis | | | | Turtles and tortoises suffer pneumonia in one of two |
| Eye infections typically occur on the surface of the | | | | forms, acute and chronic. Acute pneumonia can |
| cornea, but can also develop in the eyelids creating | | | | appear suddenly and cause death in just a matter of |
| irritation and swelling. It begins as a small white spot | | | | hours if not treated quickly. Symptoms include |
| and as the infection progresses it can spread over | | | | respiratory distress, coughing, and disorientation. |
| the entire surface and create an ulcer on the eye. | | | | Chronic pneumonia causes turtle's to have respiratory |
| Eye infections are cause either by contaminated | | | | distress and chronic nasal discharge. Treatment for |
| water (if in aquatic or semi-aquatic turtles) or low | | | | both acute and chronic pneumonia includes injecting |
| humidity (in tortoises). Treatment usually consists of | | | | antibiotics. |
| topical antibiotic eye drops. | | | | Ear abscesses |
| Cloactis | | | | Ear abscesses are a very common problem that |
| This is a bacterial infection of the cloaca that results | | | | most turtles face. Symptoms include swelling of the |
| in an inflamed cloacal opening and a foul smelling | | | | tympanic membrane and discharge of pus into the |
| discharge. These are often associated with parasitic | | | | back of the throat. It is sometime hard to identify |
| infections, or sone-like cloacal calculus. The stone | | | | that ear abscesses have formed, so treatment |
| must be removed and parasitic infection treated (if | | | | usually happens when they are in an advanced stage. |
| any) before irrigating the cloacal area. The irritant is a | | | | In most cases the abscess must be surgically opened |
| dilute Betadine or chlorhexidine solution. The last part | | | | and drained. |
| of treatment is applying a topical antibiotic ointment | | | | |