Yup, still living the high life LOL!
Last night she had her final "surgery"...there was a 1"x 1/4" chunk of shell posiing as a splinter. It went through her thigh (parallel to the bone) and only a bit was poking out of each end. I didn't mess with it at first bc I couldn't really tell exactly what it was and I wasn't sure it was a splinter. But if finally began to work it's way out on its own some so I took that as a hint that it wasn't actually a part of her. So last night I got ahold of it with tweezers and held tight as she yanked her leg away. It slid right out.
She's starting to walk a bit which just seems miraculous since she didn't move at all for 6-8 weeks. I'm hoping that having that big splinter out makes it even easier for her to get around.
She's destined to be a forever-pet as her shell's hinge is permanently damaged. She can't pull into her shell and close it up. And that's a turtle's only defense. She would quickly become a meal in the wild.
When we finally find some land that speaks to us and build a new house we plan to make an outdoor, enclosed, turtle world for her. The plan includes a shallow, man-made, rock-filled "creek", yummy plants, hideouts and burrowing spots.
You're so kind.
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