Many turtles involved in traumatic accidents like a hit by car, chewed by dog, or mowed by lawn mower present to Turtle Rescue Team with broken bones. Because every case is a little different, we assess each individual patient to determine the best course of treatment. Every turtle with a broken leg will get a radiograph (X-Ray). This allows us to better assess the fracture. A cleanly fractured bone (i.e. a bone that broke into only two pieces) is preferred over a bone that fractured into a lot of smaller pieces because it is easier to fix.
In the case of a clean fracture, we will insert a metal rod or pin through the broken bones to realign the segments. Then, the broken leg will be placed in a cast to give extra stability while the bones heal.
If the bone can not be fixed, the leg might be amputated. Turtles with only three legs can still move around quite easily and are releasable animals.