Geordie Turtle Update – 23rd November 2022

Update 23/11/2022

Geordie is a fighter!! Here’s our update from Quoin Island.

“Geordie is doing good. His bloodwork is within normal levels now. He was kept in ICU as he slowed down and wasn’t passing faeces for a week, then passed a very large amount with a large amount of undigested mangrove leaves. Transferred back to main rehab pool  when faeces were normal and activity levels restored. Eating full diet throughout the day. Active and alert. Swimming and diving well.Plastron is getting harder (was soft and papery). Still quite slow in the pool. Gained 800 grams this week (weighs 25.5 kg now, was 18.8 kg on arrival). His activity levels need to increase a bit, and he needs to put on some more weight and then he’s good to go.”

So overall good news, It seems Geordie hasn’t eaten any plastic or fishing gear.

It has been explained that potentially with the rains and flooding that has happened this year the seagrass our green turtles normally feast on has depleted due to bad water quality.

The turtles are now trying to survive on mangroves and algaes that can sustain them for a while but is not ideal nourishment and not a long term solution.

The effects of this changed diet can cause not just floating syndrome but also soft shell. This is where the shell gets soft and spongy and the top layer of shell can start to peel off due to vitamin  and calcium deficiency making the turtle even more susceptible to infections, disease and predation.