Cystoscopic guided removal of ectopic eggs from the urinary bladder of the Florida cooter turtle (Pseudemys floridana floridana)

Three gravid, female, wild Florida cooter turtles (Pseudemys floridana floridana) were evaluated and treated by the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine Turtle Rescue Team as a result of traumatic injuries or infection. As part of medical management, oviposition was induced using oxytocin, which was only partially effective. In all three cases, ectopic eggs were subsequently identified in the urinary bladder by ultrasound and were successfully removed via a minimally invasive cystoscopic-guided technique. One of the three turtles died within several days of the procedure, and necropsy revealed granulomatous bacterial cystitis. It is hypothesized that these complications were likely due to the length of time between induction with oxytocin and the identification and removal of the ectopic egg.