Turtle Rehabilitation

Meet Hermes the loggerhead turtle. The video is taken late last year, when he was very weak and had to have weights attached to his carapace to help him float straight. He came to our partners at ΑΡΧΕΛΩΝ-Archelon, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece having suffered suspected trauma to his head and neck. For months he had such trouble swallowing that he was simply not able to eat.

Matthew Rendle RVN has been remotely advising on Hermes' care for the last three months, and is delighted to have seen a significant improvement in his condition. Matthew thinks his swallowing difficulties were most likely related to an impaired ability to metabolise calcium (as a result of the trauma), which is essential for muscle contraction in reptiles. He advised more exposure to ultra-violet light and an increased calcium intake.

Although he has some ups and downs, Hermes is now doing much better and is more active and mobile. It will soon be time to consider the next step in his rehabilitation. Ideally, Matt and International Zoo Veterinary Group marine specialist vet, Tania Monreal, would like to be able to give him a full physical examination when they can visit again in person.

In the meantime, we have dispatched another package of Emeraid feeding supplements and specialised vitamins to help improve nutrition for Hermes and the other turtles in ARCHELON’s care.

Matt and Tania will be giving a joint presentation on the issues commonly seen in turtles that need rehabilitating for the upcoming Elearning.Vet Virtual Veterinary Conference on 12-13 March. The talk includes an overview of the most common pathologies, the issues of marine pollution and emphasise that meeting their welfare needs speeds their recovery, getting them ready for release.

We are very excited to be part of it all.

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Virtual Veterinary Conference

Welcome to Virtual Veterinary Conference 2021 – acompletely FREE CPD event for vets and nurses across the globe! AND WVI is the chosen charity.

Featuring two days of talks from some of the biggest names in the industry, we will be exploring interesting & unusual cases, as well as diving into some hot topics which need discussing.

On top of this, there will be networking sessions to connect with friends & colleagues; live Q&A sessions to discuss cases; a virtual exhibition with our partners & sponsors (including competitions & prizes); plus a ton of educational resources and content to consume!

Please register to listen to Matt and Tania's talk on turtles and avian vet Andrew Greenwood's talk on the work he has been involved with saving some of the world's most endangered birds.