Fuzzy

Green (Chelonia mydas)

(ST1103)

Age Class	Juvenile
Gender	Unknown
Date Stranded	January 25, 2011
Location of Stranding	St. Holmes Beach, Manatee County
Date of Arrival	January 25, 2011
Number of Days of Care	1071 days

Final Disposition

Released 8/8 from Longboat Key

lateral view of a sea turtle covered in algae

1/26 Fuzzy — named because of the algae and sand that covered its shell — was admitted to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital at Mote. The turtle arrived with papilloma tumors. Blood samples were taken for testing and Fuzzy was given fluids and tested to see how well it would do in the water. 2/12 Fuzzy has started eating sea grass and an occasional piece of squid. The turtle shows signs of having issues related to floating. 2/25 Fuzzy has conintued to improve eating but still continues to float and is not resting on the bottom of the medical pool. 3/28 Fuzzy's appetite has increased and the turtle has shown vast improvement in its ability to rest on the bottom of the medical pool. The turtle will have surgery in April. 4/25 Fuzzy has received laser surgery to remove the papilloma tumors and recovered quickly. The turtle started eating the next day, which is a good sign indicating health. 5/18 Fuzzy continues to do well and is healing from last month's surgery. 6/2 Fuzzy continues to eat well and gain strength daily. The turtle remains on antibiotics. 6/13 Fuzzy's latest blood test results continue to show elevated white blood cells, so the turtle has been switched to a different antibiotic. 7/31 The turtle is off all antibiotics and continues to have no re-growths of the papilloma tumors. We are hopeful that release is in Fuzzy's near future. 8/5 Releasing turtle on Monday. 8/8 Fuzzy has been released from Longboat Key!