Turtle and Tortoise Health Checklist - Part Two
By: Ralph & Tommy Turtle


Here and in Part One are some of the more common possible
health disease or disorder symptoms to watch for in your
turtles and tortoises, along with the common causes and
steps to take to help your pets back to health.


Diet/Eating Changes

If your turtle seems to be losing weight even though it eats
well or if it begins to avoid food and seem sluggish, it may
have a problem with worms, especially if it was wild-caught
or lives with wild-caught turtles. Take it to your
veterinarian and have its feces tested for intestinal worms.
(This should be done once or twice a year as a preventative
measure even with turtles that appear healthy.)

If there are no parasites, but it isn't eating well, it may
be constipated. A diet that is too high in protein or low in
fiber for the species can cause constipation. Another
possible cause of constipation in land turtles and tortoises
may be dehydration. One thing that often helps is soaking
the turtle for thirty minutes daily in shallow lukewarm
water. Once it is better, soak it weekly, and make sure its
habitat allows for daily soaking if the turtle wishes to do
so. Also make sure the humidity is proper for the species.

Other possible causes for a turtle or tortoise stopping its
normal eating habits is if it is a female carrying eggs, if
it has recently been moved to a new habitat and hasn't yet
adjusted, or if it is too cold. A bowel blockage, torsion,
or egg binding can also cause these symptoms, so if the
problem isn't resolved within a few days, contact the
veterinarian.


Bowel Changes

This is hard to check in water turtles, easier for land
turtles. Turtles should defecate every day that they are
fed, so try to watch for feces. If the turtle's droppings
have a white powdery part a few times per week, it is normal
excretion of excess protein. But if the droppings are very
watery or always white you should have the turtle tested for
parasites, and it may need a series of antibiotic
injections.

If the turtle is not passing feces see the advice above in
Diet/Eating Changes. If it has diarrhea, check its diet
first. Too much fruit or the wrong type of protein (like
fish to American Box Turtles) can cause diarrhea. Change the
diet and soak the turtle daily to help prevent dehydration.
If that doesn't help within a couple of days, it may be a
parasite invasion, and the vet must be consulted.


General Body Changes

If something is sticking out of the turtle's rear end and it
isn't its tail, and picking up the turtle doesn't cause the
protrusion to go back inside the turtle, it has a prolapse
of the bowel or sexual organs. This is serious. Cover the
protruding part with a damp cloth and get the turtle to the
vet immediately.

If a female turtle is just lying with her legs sticking out
backward, and before that she has been soaking or digging,
she is likely egg-bound. Make sure she has a warm place in
the habitat suitable for her species to lay eggs, give her a
good soaking if she is a land turtle, and if she still
doesn't lay within a few hours, you probably need to let the
veterinarian take a look at her. Also look for signs of a
vitamin A deficiency, and treat if needed.

If the turtle is dragging its hind legs it has a serious
bowel problem or is egg bound. If you can't see the cause of
the problem, consult your reptile vet as soon as possible.


Activity Changes

If your turtle is more or less active than normal, consider
the season of the year. Breeding season can lead to much
more activity, especially in males, and autumn can cause
turtles that naturally hibernate in the wild to slow down or
stop eating, become listless, etc. If the turtle is an adult
and is in good condition, prepare both it and its
hibernation spot for hibernation. If it is young or not
healthy, give it as much warmth as its species can tolerate,
and fourteen hours of light per day, to keep it eating
through the winter.

See more of the checklist - Shell Changes, Skin Changes, Eye
Changes, and Breathing Changes, in Turtle and Tortoise Health Part One
elsewhere on this website.


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