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A Natural Shell Repair Example in a Terrapene - Chris Tabaka DVM
Related web articles:
North American Box Turtles (Terrapene) - Tess Cook
North American Box Turtles (Terrapene) - Steve Zuppa
Eye Infections in Terrapene - Chris Tabaka DVM
Ear Infections and surgery in Terrapene - Chris Tabaka DVM
Carapace Pitting in Terrapene - Darrell Senneke
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Two of the questions I am asked most frequently are the following:
1. Will this injured turtle I found be able to heal?
2. When you do trans-plastronal surgery (surgically incise through the plastron) for procedures like egg or mass removal, how well is the animal able to heal?
The following pictorial is based on a shell found by Chris Baker of the Memphis Zoo and helps answer both of these questions. This animal sustained a SEVERE injury but without assistance, managed to recover and fully heal it over before something else caught up with it. The regenerative, recuperative powers of chelonians are simply amazing!
A View of the Shell from Various Angles
The Animal's Self-created "Patch" and the Underlying Shell
Varying Views of the Bony Carapace and the Severe Damage it Underwent
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