Symptoms of Turtle Illness: Soft Shell, Edema, Listing; Neglect Will Lead to Death

In the process of raising turtles, we encounter all sorts of situations. Sometimes it is the joy of raising turtles, and other times it is an alarm from the turtle, telling you that it might be on its last legs. If we encounter the following situations, we must be highly vigilant, otherwise, we may face the tragedy of losing our beloved pets. See if you have encountered such situations. However, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, so we must prioritize a mindset of prevention.

Softening of the Shell

First of all, the softening of the shell is a problem that cannot be ignored. For turtles raised for a long time, if the shell suddenly becomes soft, or if it starts to soften from the edges (shell skirt), this is usually a signal of calcium deficiency or malnutrition. Many owners have encountered situations where, after the turtle’s shell or edge skirt softened, the turtle passed away shortly after. Therefore, once a soft shell is discovered, the feed should be adjusted immediately to increase the intake of calcium and nutrients to ensure the turtle’s health. If you feed them well regularly but this situation still occurs, it is estimated to be caused by shell rot inside the turtle’s body resulting from stress or major environmental changes. Often, once the shell starts to soften, it will spread over a large area in a short time, and the probability of going to "Turtle Planet" (passing away) is quite high.

Limb Edema

Secondly, edema of the limbs is also an issue that needs attention. There are many causes for limb edema, such as excessive protein intake, gastroenteritis, intake of salty foods, liver lesions, etc. If dry docking (keeping the turtle out of water to stay dry) cannot alleviate the edema, then the turtle’s life may be in imminent danger. In addition, drowning that is not treated in time can also lead to limb edema. Therefore, in the process of raising turtles, owners should strictly control protein intake, avoid feeding foods with high salt content, and closely monitor the turtle’s health condition.

Listing and Open-Mouth Breathing

Furthermore, listing (floating sideways) and open-mouth breathing are also danger signals; turtle friends must be well aware of this. Listing usually means there is a problem with the turtle’s lungs, causing it unable to maintain balance in the water. This could be a manifestation of drowning or pneumonia. Once a turtle is found listing, its breathing condition should be checked immediately. If diagnosed with pneumonia, antibiotics should be used for treatment. Moreover, treatment is quite troublesome, and besides, the recovery probability is not high. At the same time, drowning must be treated promptly by draining the water; you can refer to our CPR techniques to try and expel the water from the turtle’s lungs to prevent the occurrence of pneumonia.

Abnormal Behavior: Frantic Spinning

Finally, a turtle spinning frantically in the water is also an abnormal situation. This behavior may be a symptom of encephalitis, manifested as an inability to stay still normally and an inability to accurately catch food. Many turtle friends haven’t seen this situation and think the turtle is just playing happily and is extremely excited. At such times, the turtle often cannot even bite its food accurately. If this does not attract attention at this point, then it really means "collecting the shell" (death). Can a normal turtle fail to bite food? The treatment for encephalitis is more complex than pneumonia, and the probability of cure is lower. In fact, even if we discover it, there aren’t many good solutions. Just like the herpesvirus in Mud and Musk turtles, it spreads fast, the cure rate is extremely low, and isolation is the only option. Therefore, once a turtle is found exhibiting such behavior, measures should be taken immediately.

In the process of raising turtles, owners should closely monitor the health status of their turtles. Once any of the above 4 situations are discovered, measures should be taken immediately to resolve them to ensure the healthy growth of the turtle. Isn’t observation an indispensable skill in our turtle-raising process? So, never neglect observation.