Turtles are known to be quite sturdy and are known for their durability, but no animal is indestructible, especially when falling from a high height.
This article is a look into whether turtles can survive a fall.
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Can turtles survive a fall?
Usually, when animals fall from significant heights they will suffer significant injuries, apart from maybe cats falling onto their feet.
Here is what you need to know about your turtle if you are worried about it surviving a fall:
Tortoises and falling:
While turtles can survive a fall they likely won’t be able to walk away without a scratch unless the fall is not from a high height.
A fallen tortoise can survive depending on a variety of factors.
These animals are great climbers and can be found climbing on fences, trees, walls, rocks, and other raised surfaces but they can just as easily fall off of them.
How the fall affects the tortoise depends on the height that the animal fell from, the size of the turtle, the surface that the animal landed on, and if the animal gets the necessary help after falling.
Your pet’s shell may protect the animal from the fall or it may make things worse.
While the shell of the tortoise may protect it from danger, if the shell cracks and breaks after the fall then it can become dangerous.
The shell can crack and break and this broken shell can injure the organs under the shell.
The shell breaking can also be dangerous as an open shell leaves room for germs and bacteria to enter the animal’s body.
There are blood vessels under the animal’s shell so if it breaks the bacteria and germs can get into the animal’s body.
A turtle falling can also cause the animal to develop eye trauma, broken bones, head trauma, and internal injuries
What to do:
Taking your pet to the vet after any fall is recommended, this is because even if the animal doesn’t sustain an external injury the animal may suffer an internal injury.
Because a vet visit is not always possible you can treat the animal at home and keep an eye on it to see if a vet visit is a necessity.
Treating the animal at home:
Before treating your fallen turtle make sure that you’re calm. Being frantic around your pet can cause it stress and can cause it to become stressed
Pick the animal up and place it on a soft and clean surface, like a towel, and examine the animal.
Once done, you can clean up any minor wounds like scratches using a mild saline solution, this will remove any dirt and debris that may be on the animal.
If the animal’s wounds are deeper, then taking your pet to a vet is recommended.
The vet will be able to assess the severity of the injury, by doing a physical examination and X-rays, and will be able to offer guidance and treatment depending on how severe the injury is
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtle Restless While Sleeping, Why Do Turtles Put Their Feet Up, Why Is My Turtle Restless While Sleeping, My Tortoise Is Not Responding, Why Is My Tortoise Stiff, Why Is My Turtle Swimming Upside Down, Hit My Turtle With A Lawn Mower, What Happens When You Drop A Turtle On Its Back?, Turtle Bleeding From The Bottom Of Shell