Commonly referred to as FP tumors, this is a tumor-causing disease that affects some species of sea turtles. Though more frequently found in Green Sea Turtles, they can occasionally be found with other species as well. These tumors are often referred to as cauliflower like tumors that can for on the skin anywhere on the body, eyes, and mouth, and have also been known to grow on bone, plastron, and internally on organs. Though some growths can be mild, some can also be very large and disruptive to their natural movements in the environment. Though the exact reason for this disease is not yet well understood, it has been associated with anthropogenic influences including various forms of pollution.

Note: Tumor regression can occur in patients that are in our care. Sometimes their immune systems take over once we have had a chance to remove tumors and treat them to improve their overall health and body condition.

This disorder is usually indicated by floating turtles that are unable to submerge themselves into the water column or are unable to remain submerged in the water column for an extended period. This allows them to become susceptible to capture, boat strikes, and predation. Many stranding events are associated with buoyancy disorder patients and can be attributed to things like boat collisions or entanglement. For treatment to be successful, identifying the likely culprit for the buoyancy discrepancies is very important for the rehabilitation process.

Note: A variety of treatments can be used for the rehabilitation of turtles struggling with buoyancy disorder. These include but are not limited to, gut motility medications, tapping the air out of the coelom, adding weights depending on the size and condition of the patient, and adjusting the water level in their tank upon receival of the patient.

Boat Strikes & Buoyancy Disorder:

One of the more common reasons for BD that we see here are boat strike injuries. Since the spine is fused to the carapace, although the turtle may survive the boat strike, they can be left with permanent spinal damage. This can cause the GI tract to not work properly, leading to a buildup of GI gas. Some GI gas can be treated but some boat strike cases are left with permanent GI damage. 

Chronic debilitation can be caused by a variety or combination of different things. Things like emaciation, lethargic behaviors, hypoglycemia, anemia, and excess epibiota have been associated with the identifying features of a chronically debilitated sea turtle. While the cause is not always exactly known, some associated causes with chronic debilitation include things like boat strikes, parasite overload, starvation, fibropapillomatosis (FP), and gastrointestinal issues. Treatment plans vary, depending on the patient and severity of body health/appearance, and can often be paired with treatments like TPN and dry bed docking.

Note: We usually avoid using chronic debilitation as a means of describing a patient’s health status unless it includes all or most of the symptoms associated with chronic debilitation. In cases where the patient may be anemic, but not necessarily chronically debilitated, we would likely be more specific in our description of the patient’s health status, as opposed to using the overarching term “chronically debilitated.”

Some sea turtle patients that come into our facility with excessive amounts of epibiota may be placed into fresh water for several days, depending, to remove those growths and kill leeches. The species that generally encompass the majority of the epibiota build up will die in freshwater, and this helps our team remove them in a more gentle and tolerable fashion. Since leeches especially are known causes for debilitation (can cause anemia), it is crucial for us to get those epibiota off our patients as we navigate building a treatment plan for their rehabilitation. Sea turtles do need salt water to thrive and remain healthy but can withstand bouts of freshwater exposure for a longer period than the epibiota can. Usually as soon as they are placed back into salt water, their normal eating habits and overall health begin to improve.

Note: Some of the epibiota we commonly see include barnacles, small crustaceans, leeches, leech eggs and algae.

Turtles are occasionally hit unintentionally by boaters and can be struck by propellers or the hull of boars while they are near the surface of the water column. Injuries sustained from these boat strikes can cause a variety of wound types. These include wounds indicative of blunt force trauma, and slicing which often are parallel slicing wounds or concave multi-fracture wounds. Some patients come into our facility with old boat strike injuries that have already healed, and some have fresh wounds. Treatment for each patient will depend on the status of the wound, the severity of the wound, and the level of debilitation associated with the patient. Age, location, and depth of each wound can greatly influence initial treatment as well.

Note: Spinal fractures, spinal cord abnormalities, GI issues, and chronic debilitation syndrome are often associated with boat strike victims. Radiographs (a type of x-ray) and Computerized Tomography (CT) scans can help determine the severity of wounds both internally and externally.

Almost every year around December we receive Kemps Ridley sea turtles from up north near the Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts region. Kemps Ridley sea turtles migrate from their nesting beaches, which are usually in and around the Gulf of Mexico. They typically arrive at the northern coastal feeding areas in the Gulf of Mexico in the springtime, and then eventually make their way south in the fall. Unfortunately, when quickly forming cold fronts develop it is not uncommon to see Kemps Ridley sea turtles caught somewhere in that migration route suffering from a variety of health issues. This is fairly common to see in the Cape Cod area because of the unusual topography and layout of the land mass (shaped like a hook).

The Kemps that we have received each year are all part of what we call a cold-stunning event, which is related to the condition referred to as Cold-stunning. Sea turtles, being marine reptiles, are particularly susceptible to these events because of their ectothermic nature. This condition causes sea turtles to become very weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures, typically when water is noted to be 50 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Some of the conditions that we see these Kemps suffer from as a result of these Cold-Stunning events are lethargy, floating at or near the surface of the water column, and many secondary health issues from prolonged exposure. These secondary conditions can range from several issues related to pneumonia, bone infections that can take several weeks to manifest, and exposure effects on circulation, organ function, skin/shell/eye condition, as well as their immune system.

While they are in our care some of the treatments that you might see our team administering to these patients include nebulization, antibiotics, regular x-rays to monitor bone health and pneumonia developments, as well as any wound care that may be necessary.

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to let any of our staff members know! We are going to be very busy in the hospital when we receive these little ones, so please be cognizant of their time and space as they navigate the many new patients we have received!

Caryospora - this is a protozoan (single-celled animal) parasite that is commonly found in sea turtles. It is known to cause harm to the intestines as well as immature stages of the parasite. It can cause severe debilitation, lethargy, weight loss, and anemia and is often described as a parasite that eats its way through the intestine. This is very commonly found in juvenile green sea turtles during certain times of the year (generally in colder months) but can be found in other species as well. Though there are not studies or data that fully support that these cases are primarily seen in colder months, it is our staff’s experience that we see them more often when water temperatures drop.