If you’re keeping turtles, and you notice that some of these little animals have slow or stunted growth, then you’d understandably start to be concerned. Figuring out the source of this stunted growth will help you remedy it
This article looks into why your baby turtle is not growing
Table of Contents
Why is my baby turtle not growing:
Stunted growth is a concern of many pet owners, turtle owners included, the animal lagging behind its siblings in terms of growth is very worrisome.
Here are the reasons why your baby turtle is not growing:
Inadequate nutrients:
Baby turtles are known to grow quite fast, faster than many people think, but this will only happen if the animal gets adequate nutrition in its diet.
These animals need a variety of nutrients in order to grow strong and healthy. If there is a lack of nutrients in the animal’s diet then expect stunted growth in the animal.
A diet that does not have a balance of the correct nutrients may also be the reason behind stunted growth in your turtle, this would also need to be looked into
What to do:
If your pet is not growing then you’d need to have a close look at what your turtle is eating and change the turtle’s diet. Your pet’s diet should include turtle pellets, meat, plants, green leaves, aquatic plants, worms, fish, and insects
If your pet is already eating all of these foods in the right amounts then you may need to take your pet to a reptile specialist vet to have the animal examined and tested. The vet will be able to give you a clear concrete answer as to why your turtle isn’t growing
Sibling rivalry:
If your baby turtle is living with its siblings then it may not be getting enough food because it is being bullied away from food sources.
If this is happening then one of the turtles may be malnourished even though you’re giving the group enough food and the right kind of food
What to do:
You can test this theory by watching your turtles and checking to see if the smaller one isn’t able to eat food when the others are around.
If this is what’s happening with your pets then separate the animals. Give each their own tank, food water, and fill the tank with everything that the animals needs to live well.
Parasites:
Another reason why your turtle may not be growing may be because the animal has intestinal parasites. If the animal is eating as it should be, if its diet is loaded with all the nutrients and minerals it needs, and if the animal is still not growing then this may be happening because the turtle has intestinal parasites
What to do:
This is something that needs to be diagnosed and treated by a vet, you as a turtle owner won’t be able to see the parasites because some of them are microscopic, but a vet can with the right tools.
Take your pet to a reptile specialist vet or request that your local vet get on a conference call with a reptile specialist vet during your visit. The reptile specialist vet will be able to guide the local vet through care for the turtle.
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 Shell Turning Blue?, Why Does My Turtle’s Shell Look Cracked?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Breaking?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Shiny?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Turning Green?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Squishy?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Dented?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Getting Darker, Why Is My Turtles Shell Caving In?,
