Sponsor the Care of Honeybee
By sponsoring the care of sea turtle Honeybee you'll be supporting the Sea Turtle Hospital and the work we do to research, rehab and release these amazing animals. Your sponsorship can provide Honeybee with important medical supplies, nutritious food, critical exams and other types of care provided while at the Sea Turtle Hospital.
Suggested amount to sponsor the care of a turtle is $50. We appreciate gifts above $50 as well.
For joining us, you'll receive:
- A personalized certificate and choice to have it mailed to your home or emailed
- A monthly email update
- Advance notice of the turtle’s release (attendance at release not guaranteed)
You can even give a turtle sponsorship as a gift!
Please allow 2 weeks for mailed certificate to arrive. Emailed certificates sent within 3-4 business days.
For questions about sponsoring, please contact wh-whitneylab@ufl.edu.
Honeybee's Story
Honeybee is a juvenile green sea turtle and our 101st patient of the year. In honor of our 2026 bug-themed names, this sweet turtle was given the perfect name after being found washed ashore in Daytona, quiet, lethargic, and clearly in need of help.
Honeybee was initially triaged by our friends at the Volusia Marine Science Center where they documented Fibropapillomatosis (FP) on the shoulders, eyes, and inguinal regions. The following morning, Honeybee was transferred to our hospital for continued care. Upon arrival, Honeybee was heavily covered in epibiota, including barnacles, sand, algae, and sea squirts, all signs that this little turtle had been struggling for some time. Because turtles in this condition can be especially fragile, we first made sure Honeybee’s glucose levels were stable before beginning the careful process of removing the heavy epibiota burden. Cleaning off barnacles can be stressful on an already debilitated turtle, so we wanted to make sure Honeybee was strong enough to handle it.
Once the epibiota was gently removed, we discovered that many of the scutes on Honeybee's carapace were damaged, causing some irritation underneath and showing signs of infection. These areas were thoroughly cleaned and treated with mediHoney (medical honey) to help promote healing. Honeybee also received full-body x-rays to check for any foreign material, fractures, or other concerns, and was started on antibiotics and fluid therapy right away.
To gather even more information about Honeybee’s condition, the turtle was transported to Precision Imaging for a complete CT scan. After carefully reviewing the images, Dr. Brooke was able to confirm some encouraging news: Honeybee showed no evidence of internal tumors. The scan did reveal mild, treatable pneumonia, which we are now actively managing as part of Honeybee’s rehabilitation plan.
The good news is that Honeybee has already begun settling in beautifully. This little turtle has become comfortable in their rehab tank, is readily eating all seafood offered, taking oral medications well, and has even started showing some interest in greens too!
We are so hopeful for Honeybee’s recovery and look forward to following this patient’s progress through rehabilitation. Thank you for supporting Honeybee’s care and helping make this healing journey possible!