Content
- Recognize the signs of illness in a turtle
- respiratory infections
- Diarrhea and constipation
- eye problems
- Pyramidism
- Foot injuries and carapace
The human being has always been linked to the animal kingdom, so we shouldn't be surprised that precisely now, where most of the population lives in urban areas, the world of pets is becoming very diversified.
This is very positive and although the pets par excellence are dogs and cats, they do not always adapt to the individual characteristics of all people, therefore, more and more people choose pets less conventional ones, such as ferrets, Vietnamese pigs, snakes or turtles.
If you are thinking of hosting a turtle or if you are already sharing your home with one of them, this PeritoAnimal article is for you, as we show you the most common diseases in turtles.
Recognize the signs of illness in a turtle
As with us and with many animals, when a turtle's organism is not healthy, it manifests itself through various signs, which we must be aware of. The main signs are:
- Swelling of the eyes;
- Coughing or sneezing;
- Appetite changes;
- Behavior changes;
- Diarrhea.
respiratory infections
Sudden temperature changes, which can be caused by a bad adjustment of the water temperature or by air currents, are the main cause that causes the turtle to end up contracting a respiratory infection, because as with us, are susceptible to colds.
The symptoms we observe in this case are the following:
- Open mouth breathing;
- Mucosity and nasal secretions;
- Loss of appetite;
- Weakness and lethargy.
It is a priority to pay attention to the care of water turtles such as, increase water temperature to strengthen the immune system, if within a few days you do not see improvement, you should immediately go to the veterinarian to prevent the cold from ending up triggering pneumonia.
Diarrhea and constipation
Both intestinal transit disorders are caused by a bad diet. In the case of diarrhea, this usually happens due to a case of overeating, an excess of fruit and vegetables or the ingestion of food in poor condition. If the condition is constipation, the diet may be deficient in fiber, although this disorder can also appear if the aquarium is too small.
To treat constipation or constipation, in addition to making the corresponding feed corrections, you can offer your turtle a warm water bath that covers the underside of your carapace.
To treat and prevent diarrhea it is important to keep the aquarium water clean and be careful with the turtle's hygiene. In addition, we must reduce the amount of water in the diet until we observe that the intestinal transit has returned to normal.
eye problems
Turtles are very susceptible to eye diseases and we can see them very easily if we look at them. eyes closed and swollen in the tortoise, in addition to the lack of appetite.
The cause is usually a vitamin A deficit or dirty water. As a first treatment we should proceed with a eye cleaning with saline solution, 2 times a day.
If you don't see an improvement, you should go to the veterinarian to decide if an antibiotic treatment and/or a nutritional supplement based on vitamin A is needed.
Find out what the differences are between water and land turtles in this PeritoAnimal article.
Pyramidism
Pyramidism affects turtles and land and it is a disorder that is very easily perceived through the carapace, since the carapace thickens and rises, in the most severe cases, it can become a very severe problem for the turtles.
This disease is directly related to poor diet, although lack of moisture and sun exposure as well as endocrine diseases can also cause pyramidism.
Although pyramidism has no treatment, early assessment will be very important to reduce this disease and improve the turtle's quality of life.
Foot injuries and carapace
Finally, we mention these injuries, which are not a pathology, are common in turtles and must be treated in a timely manner, otherwise, serious complications may appear. Turtles can injure each other in falls, scratch or bite each other if they coexist with other herbivorous reptiles.
If the turtle has a small scratch, it will be enough to clean the affected region with water and mild soap, for later disinfect with an iodine solution dissolved in water. On the other hand, if the wound is deep, it is essential to go to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.