The Correct Method for Gut Clearing Before Turtle Hibernation: What Are the Consequences of Not Clearing?

It is now September, and the weather in the North has already started to cool down. Turtle keepers (enthusiasts who raise turtles) need to pay attention to gut clearing (the process of emptying the contents of the turtle’s intestines before hibernation) for their turtles; in the South, it might be later.

Definition and Procedure of Gut Clearing

What is gut clearing?

So-called gut clearing refers to gradually reducing the feeding amount 1-2 weeks before the turtle hibernates, eventually stopping feeding. At the same time, by raising the temperature and increasing the frequency of soaking (the process of placing the turtle in shallow water to induce defecation and hydration), the turtle is allowed to naturally empty its intestines until the amount of defecation decreases and the feces become clear. Confirm that the intestines are empty before entering hibernation.

Risks of Not Clearing the Gut

Can I skip gut clearing?

I tried being lazy before too, and as a result, I found 2 Reeves’turtles looking “listless”when spring started. When I dug them out and looked, their hind legs were swollen like they were “inflated.”

I rushed them to the pet hospital. The licensed veterinarian (personnel who have obtained practice qualifications and engage in animal diagnosis and treatment activities) said that food had accumulated in the intestines. Because the temperature is low during hibernation, they couldn’t digest it, so it rotted inside their bellies, causing infection.

Just giving injections took nearly half a month of hassle; the turtles suffered, and I felt bad for them too.

Now, as soon as October arrives every year, I stare at the water basin every day to see if the Reeves’turtles have finished pooping, soaking them “more diligently than I wash my own face.”

To put it plainly, this gut clearing business is just “the same logic as us not eating late-night snacks before bed.” “Sleeping hard with stuff stuffed in your belly” will sooner or later “cause problems.”