The bodies of humans and animals have this amazing ability to regenerate after they have been injured, you may be wondering if the same will happen to your turtle if its tail becomes injured
This article looks into whether turtle tails can grow back
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Do turtle’s tails grow back?
A turtle injury can happen as a result of predation, injuries from other turtles, injuries from themselves, and falls or accidents, this not only looks painful but also feels painful to turtles.
Here is what you need to know about turtle tails growing back:
Turtle tail regeneration:
In some cases, if your turtle’s tail is injured or removed, then it will grow back, that is, if the part that was removed or injured was a small part
These animals are known for their ability to regrow some of their body parts tails included.
This regrowth will look different depending on the species and the individual turtle.
However, when a turtle’s tail grows back it grows back quite slowly so regrowth can take several months.
The tail has specialized cells which help with regrowth, these cells differentiate forming the different structures that form part of the animal’s tail.
The new tail that forms may not look exactly as the old tail looked and it may also behave differently than the old tail did.
Regardless, the new tail should pretty much be able to do the same job that the old tail did even though the new tail is thinner, shorter, or has a slightly different shape
If your turtle’s tail does grow back then you should be relieved as the tail is involved in swimming promulgation, balance, and even communication.
If your turtle loses quite a large part of its tail then this part will not regenerate. The tail in this case will round out as skin grows over and closes the wound
What to do:
If you want to ensure that the new tail grows healthy and grows well then make sure that the animal’s environment is clean, this will keep any possibility of infections at bay.
Clean the area to make sure that the tail doesn’t become infected. Use an antibiotic ointment like betadine to disinfect your turtle’s tail.
Keeping your injured turtle isolated is also recommended, this will keep the possibility of the tail becoming infected at bay.
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: My Turtle Got Bit By A Dog, My Turtle Has A Cut On Its Leg, Can Turtles Live In A Fish Tank, My Turtle Ate My Fish, My Turtle Is Getting Too Big, My Turtles Nails Are Too Long, My Turtle Bites My Other Turtle, My Turtle Can’t Swim, My Turtle Doesn’t Swim