Hello, all -

I'm writing because I am fostering two very sick turtles, who I'd taken to the vet on July 9th. These turtles have been neglected for most of their lives —the cost of their care is astronomical. 

Their names are Sushi and Ripper. These turtles  were left behind in an empty facility when the pandemic hit. At the end of May, I heard from a staff member at said facility that the turtles were not receiving consistent care. I volunteered to take them in and picked them up that week. I was given 1 tank, 1 lamp, and a few river rocks to furnish the tank with.

Both turtles, in recent weeks, have been acting really strange. I took them to the vet, under the assumption that Sushi was very sick with an upper respiratory infection, and Ripper was harboring symptoms as well. 

As it turns out, Sushi and Ripper are female turtles. Both of them have metabolic bone disease after years of improper lighting, heating, and nutrition. Ripper herself is gravid, i.e. "pregnant" with eggs, but the eggs are not fertilized. 

Sushi is much smaller than Ripper. But since they are the same age, they should be the same size. Being two turtles in one tank likely provoked territorial aggression between the two, which left Sushi without the food she needed to grow to Ripper's size.

Both turtles have shell rot, a.k.a. an infection of the shell, which causes their shells to peel and crumble. This is evidenced in both turtles by white spots on their shells, as well as their scutes (the shell's "plates") cracking off.

Ripper will die if she can't lay her unfertilized eggs. One of the eggs is badly deformed, which complicates things. She is currently undergoing intensive, overnight treatments at the clinic, plus receiving any supportive care she needs as she tries to lay her eggs.

Sushi has tiny pieces of rock in her GI tract. She likely does have an upper respiratory infection, but it's too soon to tell. Sushi is hanging out in a makeshift ICU tank I created in my basement. 

The first set of medical bills total around $2,000, which is not a cost I can sustain very easily. And there will be more medical bills - Sushi, for example, needs a second X-ray in 2-4 weeks. Both need medication and continued care, in separate tanks, to support their weakened immune systems. 

There will not only be more procedures, but also prescriptions to pick up, recurring appointments.

Please consider donating  to the recovery of Sushi and Ripper. The money will be used to offset the cost of the veterinary bills and other supplies until they are safely re-homed at a shelter or rehabilitation center for turtles.

Thank you for reading this far, and for your support of Sushi and Ripper. Anything means everything.