Turtle Rescue?

[77horses]

Hey everyone!
So I was driving home today...it was raining out and getting dark. All the sudden I saw this turtle crossing on the opposite side of the road. I was worried that he'd get hit by a car or something, so I decided to pull over and started walking over to where the turtle was. Just as I began making my way over, what happened? Another car came around the corner and ran over the poor thing, not even bothering to stop or anything.

I went over to the turtle and he was still alive, but his shell was cracked and looked like it was bleeding a little. Me being an animal loving vegetarian who would feel bad if she killed even a fly, I didn't want to just leave him there, so I brought him home. He's a fairly large snapping turtle, so I was careful not to get too close to his mouth (in case he tried to bite me...which he did try to do, since he's pretty aggressive, as expected). I have a small fenced-in run area where the chickens sometimes go in; it has a small sheltered area and it's near the woods, so I put him in there just to keep in contained for the night. He seems fine, except for the cracked shell and everything. But he doesn't seem to be bleeding too much.
What can I do? I know there's the possibility of the cracked shell getting infected (according the similar stories of cracked turtle shells that I've read about), and I read somewhere to put peroxide on the crack(s) to prevent infection. Is that true? What else should I do to make sure he recovers? What should I do to take care of him until (if) he recovers? I don't have that much experience with taking care of reptiles so if someone does it would be great if you could offer some advice!

Thanks!

Also, I will see if I can add pictures of him for you guys at some point.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

is there a local animal outreach???
that would be best

 

[77horses]

is there a local animal outreach???
that would be best

I do know a local game warden. Would he be able to help???

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I would hope so...

 

[RHRanch]

You need to contact a wildlife rehab or rescue center. Your county wildlife manager or game warden should be able to direct you to one.

 

[thaiturkey]

You need to get it to people who can deal with the injury and know how to take care of turtles. Leave it as it is for a few days and it will probably die a painful death from infection.

 

[redhen]

poor guy!

 

[theoldchick]

Contact your local zoo and see if they can refer you to somebody who will rehab soft shelled turtles. Unfortunately, unless the turtle is an endangered species, it is difficult to find somebody to take on a snapping turtle. Call the area vets, and see if they know of any turtle rescues. I do know snapping turtles like to eat fish, and I remember volunteering at a zoo where I spent the early morning hours cutting up fish for the snapping turtle exhibit. Back then the doctors used chlorihexidine (Nolvasan) flush to treat turtle wounds as it would not further damage the tissue. Warning: large snapping turtles can snap off your finger, so be careful!

Good luck and don't get bitten!

 

[redhen]

How is he?

 

[77horses]

we contacted the game warden and he took him in and said he would take good care of him. He said that the cracked shell wasn't too bad, so he would most likely make a good recovery and be back in his normal habitat in no time.