There are many reasons why turtles might float. Conditions like pneumonia, long-term malnutrition, poor health, or being startled can all cause a turtle to float. To understand the specific reasons why your turtle might be floating, keep reading with Dr. Oxygen Pet for more details.
Causes of Turtle Floating
1. Turtle Has Pneumonia
Floating is one of the common symptoms of pneumonia in turtles. If you notice your turtle floating, you might want to check if it has pneumonia. However, floating doesn’t always mean the turtle has pneumonia. When a turtle has pneumonia, floating can happen for two main reasons: after getting pneumonia, the turtle’s lung sacs can get damaged and form large bubbles, causing the lungs to over-expand and making the turtle float, usually on its side. Another reason is that the turtle’s air sacs might fail, making it float.
To determine if pneumonia is the cause of your turtle’s floating, look for other common pneumonia symptoms. If your turtle is floating and also has a stretched-out neck, is breathing with its mouth open, or has heavy breathing sounds, it’s likely pneumonia, and you should treat it promptly.
2. Turtle Has Gastroenteritis
Turtles can also float when they have gastroenteritis. For example, if a turtle has a bowel obstruction, it can cause floating because the electrolyte imbalance leads to a blockage, causing the stomach and intestines to fill with gas and the turtle’s body density to decrease.
Additionally, the way a turtle floats can vary a lot depending on where the gas is trapped. A sick turtle might float with its tail up, head up, or on its side. As mentioned earlier, floating doesn’t always mean pneumonia—it could also be due to gastroenteritis. When a turtle has gastroenteritis, it usually also shows symptoms like vomiting, drooling, mucus around the anus, and a bad smell from the mouth or nose. Owners can look for these signs to determine if their turtle has gastroenteritis.
3. Turtle Is Malnourished
Whether a turtle is malnourished because it’s sick or because of improper feeding by the owner, malnutrition can make the turtle’s abdominal cavity relatively empty, decreasing its body density and causing it to float. Floating is just a mild symptom of malnutrition. If not addressed, malnutrition can lead to more serious issues like rotting skin, soft shells, or cloudy eyes. So, it’s important for owners to feed their turtles properly and ensure they get a balanced diet.
4. Turtle’s Personal Preferences
Some turtles might just have unique habits. For instance, some turtles are very active and like to float. In these cases, you need to understand your turtle’s personality and behavior to decide if floating is normal for them.
That’s all from Dr. Oxygen Pet about why turtles float. How well do you understand why your turtle might be floating? If you see your turtle floating, don’t panic. Take a close look at your turtle, figure out why it’s floating, and take the appropriate steps based on the cause.
