Turtles need every body part, including their tail, and if this body part falls off then you’d definitely be shocked and confused as to why.
This article is a look into why your turtle’s tail fell off.
Table of Contents
Why did my turtle’s tail fall off?
If mother nature gave turtles tails then these animals definitely needed them, if the tail falls off then you’d rightly assume that something is wrong.
Here is why your turtle’s tail fell off:
Bullying:
If you’re keeping more than one turtle in the tank then there is a chance that the bigger turtle will start bullying the smaller turtle.
The bullying may include the bigger turtle biting a portion of the smaller turtle’s tail, this biting could have resulted in the animal’s tail falling off.
What to do:
The bigger turtle will continue to bully the smaller turtle if they are not separated, if the bully can bully once it can bully again.
Keep an eye on the turtles for now, if the bullying continues then you’ll have to separate the two reptiles.
You’d need to separate the two until the injured animal’s tail has healed. If you don’t separate the turtles then the biting will continue and this will keep the wound from healing.
You can help the injured turtle by cleaning the injured area with warm water, dry docking your pet, and then applying Neosporin/triple antibiotic to the wound to keep an infection from developing.
Keep an eye on your injured turtle’s tail, if there is an infection, and the tail is not healing, then you’d need to take your pet to a vet, or better yet, a herp vet.
Sharp objects:
Another reason why your turtle’s tail may have fallen off may be because the tail was cut by an object in the tank.
Turtle tails are quite small so any sharp object may have cut the turtle’s tail clean off.
What to do:
If your turtle’s tail is completely cut off then take the animal to the vest as soon as you can. An injury like this can easily become infected, so having your pet seen by a vet is a must.
Isolate this turtle as soon as you can, keeping it away from others will allow the tail to heal as keeping it isolated will keep other turtles from attacking the tail.
The tail will likely not grow back, or it won’t grow back to its full size, but the tail should heal.
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’s Tail Swollen?, Why Is My Turtle’s Tail Curled?, Why Does My Tortoise Wag Its Tail?, Why Is My Turtle’s Tail Tucked In?, Why Does My Turtle Keep Opening His Mouth?, Why Is My Turtle’s Mouth Bleeding?, Why Do Turtle’s Eyes Turn White?, What’s Wrong With My Turtle’s Eyes?, Why Is My Tortoise Blowing Bubbles From His Mouth?