If there are any new additions to your turtle’s body, like swelling or strange lumps on the animal’s body, then you as a turtle owner will understandably be concerned.
If you’re wondering why our turtle seems to have a lump on its neck then this article will be of help to you
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Why does my turtle have a lump on his neck?
Sudden lumps on your turtle’s neck aren’t entirely discreet, and they may make you worry about the health and safety of the animal
Here is why there may be a lump on your turtle’s neck:
Injury:
One of the reasons why your pet turtle may have a lump on its neck may be because the animal was injured there is welling in the area.
The animal could have injured itself on an inanimate object, or, another of your turtles may have nipped the turtle causing the swelling in the area.
What to do:
If you think that nipping is the reason for the swelling at your pet’s neck then you’d need to separate your two turtles to allow the injured one to recover.
Keep an eye on the lump and see if the injury heals on its own.
You may need to permanently separate the animals because they need their own space.
These animals are a solitary species and can become aggressive with each other when they each don’t have enough space for themselves
Abscess:
If your pet’s injury was left open, and bacteria was left to enter the injury site, then your pet may have an abscess at its neck
An abscess is what happens when the animal’s body closes a wound and traps bacteria in. This area becomes closed off and forms a hard cheese like pus filed lump at the wound site
What to do:
Unlike human abscesses, turtle abscesses are filled with a thick, cheese-like consistency. Because of this, the remedy for them would be to open the abscess up, dig out the pus, and discard it.
Taking your pet to the vet to perform this minor surgery is recommended because they will give the animal anesthetic or painkillers to kill the pain of surgery.
Once your vet has removed the contents of the abscess your pet may need antibiotics to get rid of any bacteria that may be in the area.
Your vet may also give you some antibacterials to flush the wound out and prevent future infections.
Once back home it may be advised that you keep your pet in a separate container for the next few days, and only allow your pet to swim in clean fresh water for 1-2 hours each day.
Your pet can go back to its enclosure once it is back to normal.
Absses can also pop open, if this happens it could lead to a larger infection, so, taking your pet to be treated by a vet is of the utmost importance
If the abscess is not treated then it can cause a systemic (body-wide) infection. It is recommended that you get your pet to a herp vet to treat the abscess as soon as you can.
A herp vet is a vet who specializes in reptiles and amphibians.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Does My Turtle Hiss At Me, Why Does My Turtle Pee On Me?, Why Is My Turtle A Picky Eater?, Why Is My Turtle Swimming Frantically?, Why Is My Turtle Panicking?, Why Is My Turtle Digging In The Rocks?, Why Does My Turtle Move His Rocks?, Why Is My Turtle Digging In The Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Burrowing?