Turtles have shells on their backs and this distinctive feature does a lot for the animal, one thing that these shells do for the animal is protect it from a variety of harmful things
If you want to know what happens when you drop a turtle on its back then read on.
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What happens when you drop a turtle on its back
Dropping your turtle on its back may happen accidentally but the effects that this has on the animal are quite dramatic.
Here is what happens when you drop a turtle on its back:
Mentally:
Being on their shells is quite scary for these animals, the only time that turtles in the wild would fall on their back would be if they were picked up by a predator and fell.
If you drop your pet turtle on its back then the animal will likely become quite stressed as soon as it falls and will then begin to right itself up. Most turtles can right themselves up.
The animals will feel stressed and helpless for a while until they get themselves upright.
The animal will also feel shock when dropped on its back because of the sudden and unexpected trauma and your pet will also become disoriented.
The shell:
Falling on its back will cause your pet turtle to develop serious injuries, while the shell is meant to protect these animals if the animal falls on its shell then the shell can break.
The shell protects the internal body of the animal and the nerves and blood vessels. So, falling will not only be stressful for the animal, it will also be quite painful for the animal.
The pieces of the broken shell may injure the body of the turtle and cause issues with the organs that sit right under the shell
If the turtle’s shell breaks and wounds the animal this wounded area will be exposed to germs and bacteria.
These germs and bacteria can get into the animal’s blood stream causing septicemia, a dangerous blood infection.
The internal organs:
If the shell does not break the animal’s internal organs may still be affected when the animal falls.
The turtle being upside down will cause issues with the animal’s breathing.
These animals have lungs and air sacs towards the top of the shell, when flipped over the stomach, liver, and intestinal tract will flip onto the animal’s airways and lungs causing breathing difficulties.
What to do:
Quickly picking the turtle up and rightsiding it isn’t always recommended as this can also stress it out.
If you’ve dropped your turtle then remain calm and wait for it to recover from its shock.
If the animal doesn’t right side up itself then carefully and gently pick it up and right side it.
Look for signs of injury in your turtle and if the animal is injured then clean the area, and remove any dirt and debris using a mild saline solution
If the animal has a wound, is bleeding, swelling, or has any other signs of serious injury then get your pet to a vet as soon as you can
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, Can Turtles Survive A Fall?, Turtle Bleeding From The Bottom Of Shell