Blood should cycle inside of your turtle’s body and should ideally never come out. But, if your turtle seems to be spitting up blood then you’d understandably be quite disturbed and confused
This article looks into why your turtle seems to be spitting up blood
Table of Contents
My turtle is spitting up blood:
The term that describes spitting up blood is hemoptysis, this is quite a concerning condition and it requires medical attention
Here is why your turtle may be spitting up blood:
Illness:
Illness may be the reason why your turtle seems to be coughing up blood. Anything from a respiratory infection, a vitamin K deficiency, or an oral infection can cause the symptoms of coughing up blood.
What to do:
If you find that your pet keeps spitting up blood then veterinary care is strongly recommended.
Hemoptysis in your pet can be a life-threatening medical emergency. No living thing coughing up blood is normal or natural
If you can’t immediately get your pet to the vet then you would need to keep it adequately hydrated and warm until you can get the animal to the vet.
Increasing the temperature of the animal’s water and basking area by 5 degrees should simulate fever and this should help your pet fight off their infection until they can get to the vet
Offering additional vitamins in your pet’s diet may help to remedy the issue if your pet suffering from a vitamin K deficiency.
Injury:
If your pet is injured in its mouth, in its throat, or anywhere else in its digestive system then this can cause the animal to cough up blood.
The injury could have been caused by anything from gravel to fish bones. These items are generally sharp and hard while the animals’ insides are soft and delicate so it’s easy for them to cause damage.
Thankfully injuries from these items aren’t usually too dangerous as they will likely be quite minor.
What to do:
If your pet isn’t coughing up too much blood, and if the animal stops coughing up blood, then your pet will likely be just fine. The turtle’s body should heal from the injury and all will go back to normal.
If you’re worried you can take your pet to the vet. The vet will physically examine the animal and take an x-ray of the turtle to see if there are any objects in the animal’s body causing the blood to appear
Tips on taking your turtle to the vet:
Before you take your pet to the vet it’s recommended that you take a sample of the blood and give it to the vet for an examination this should help with the diagnosis.
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 Has A Hole In Its Shell, Is My Turtle Underweight?, Can Turtles Overheat?, My Turtle Keeps Scratching His Eyes, My Turtle Only Laid One Egg, My Turtle Only Eats Shrimp, My Turtle Only Eats Lettuce, My Turtle Tank Smells Bad, Why Does My Turtle Tank Smell Bad After Cleaning?
