The Turtle Hospital. Rescue, Rehab, Release.

Bath Time

You may not know this, but our sea turtles get bath time just like us!

cooper bath time

It is common for sea turtles in the wild to have algae on their shells. While they are in the wild, they rely on fish to help clean their shells and scratching themselves against rocks or reefs.

FWC rescuing a loggerhead with fish stuck to the underside (circled in red)

FWC rescuing a loggerhead with cleaner fish stuck to the underside (circled in red)

But while the turtles are patients at the hospital, they do not have these fish, they have us instead. So we use brushes to clean their shells regularly.

DSC_0238

The most important part is to clean them when they first arrive. When they are sick, they typically float. Which means more algae and barnacle growth than normal.

curly

Curly on Intake

Curly on Release

Curly on Release

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