Sea Turtle Husbandry Flashcards
Where does NYMRC obtain their permit from?
U.S Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) and NOAA.
Are there any other permanent facilities that are able to rehabilitate sea turtles in NY?
No, only NYMRC
Describe the veterinary care that takes place at NYMRC?
- Dr. Rob Pisciotta
- Dr. Richard Hanusch
- On call 24/7
- Oversee all treatments in house
- Clear all animals prior to release or euthanasia
Any facility that holds sea turtles in captivity MUST have access to a veterinarian
Describe the admit physical that sea turtle receive when they arrive at NYMRC?
- Blood smaple
- Weight
- Level A measurements
- External injuries documents
- A folder where all appropriate information is recorded
What are blood samples analyzed for?
- Electrolytes (hydration)
- Hematocrit (iron)
- Blood gases
- Glucose
- Total protein
- Calcium
- Uric acid
Full CBC
What do low hematocrit levels indicate?
- Low iron
- Iron injection must be given
What do glucose levels indicate?
- Hyper/hypoglcemia
- Provides an idea of what fluids need to be given (ex: dextrose)
What do electrolytes indicate?
Hydration
What do high levels of white blood cells indicate?
- Infection
- Stress (seals)
What are indicators of kidney function?
- Phosphorous
- Uric acid
- CPK
How are antibiotics administered?
- Based on blood sample results
- Given in house
Lab results can tell you what antibiotics bacteria = resistant to / what bacteria will be killed by the antibiotics
What are some shell treatments that are given to sea turtles and how often are they administered?
- SSD
- Manuka honey
- Dry docking
- Sunlight exposure
- Treatments are given once a week
Describe feeding and diet management for sea turtles?
- Animals often do not eat on the first day
- Cold stun turtles are not offered food until they are at temp (which is what)
- Turtles are offered 2-3% of their BW
- Animals are fed once a day every day
- Green turtles are provided veggies on top of protein
What food are sea turtles given
Why is it important that enrichment is given to sea turtles?
- Ensures wild behaviors are not lost
- Promote foraging, hiding, and play
Do not reuse the same enrichments to avoid animals getting bored
When is force feeding used and how is it administered?
- Reptiles can go without food for a long period of time
- Only used for animals not eating well on their own
- Can be whole pieces of food or a slurry mixture
- Slurry mixture is typically given in a 5mL syringe with metal tip attached
How is water quality tested and why is it important?
- Good water quality is essential to the health of sea turtles in captivity
- Water quality tests:
- Temperature
- PH
- Salinity
- Chlorine
- Coliforms (bacteria)
Why is low PH bad for sea turtles?
Low PH will burn holes through the carapace / mess up eyes
What are the tank requirements for sea turtles in captivity?
- Based on USDA requirements
- Holding tanks must be based on the size of the largest specimen in the tank (6x the size of the animal)
- Sick or injured animals are allowed to be held in smaller isolation tanks
- Inside of tanks must be non-abrasive
- Tanks must not contain non-food items that can be ingested by turtles
What are the lighting requirements for sea turtles in captivity and why is lighting important?
- Good quality bulbs must be used to promote the general health of turtles and avoid metabolic problems
- There must be enough lighting to allow for easy viewing of turtles
- Lighting must mimic daylight hours
When is euthanasia deemed appropriate?
- Authorized only if the vet deems that recuperation is unlikely…
- Illness / injury is terminal or untreatable
- If an illness is communicable and likely to pose a threat to wild populations or captive turtles
- Wounds prevent survival in the wild of a self-maintaining life in captivity
When must a necropsy be conducted?
- Anytime a turtle dies at a facility
- Must be conducted by a vet or qualified staff member
- Level A data = obtained
- Samples are collected for histology
- May help find COD
- Cold-stun necropsies are often inconclusive (most cases = due to hypothermia)
When are turtles deemed ready to release?
- Vet must approve final blood sample
- Full physical is performed
- NOAA must be notified 2 weeks before release date
- Release location is based on water temperature
What types of tags are used for sea turtles?
- Flipper tags (turtles must be >30cm in length)
- PIT tags (goes under the skin)
What kinds of telemetry are used on sea turtles?
- Acoustic
- Satellite
- A permit is required to tag sea turtles and all tags must impose less than 10% drag (ideally 5%)*
