The main characteristics that tortoises are known for are their slow, delicate, and deliberate movements, twitching isn’t exactly something that these animals are known for
If your tortoise is twitching, and you want to know why, then this article will be of help to you.
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Why is my tortoise twitching?
There are a variety of behaviors that your tortoise may exhibit that may make you wonder about the animal and wonder about its well-being, twitching may be one of those behaviors
Here are reasons why your pet tortoise may be twitching:
A change in temperature:
One reason why your pet tortoise may be twitching may be that it experienced a sudden and drastic change in temperature
If, for example, your pet moves from basking and being warm on its basking platform and quickly moves into cold water then the animal may be “shocked” by the change in temperature and start to twitch
A similar but opposite situation would be if the animal jumped into a warm pool of water after being in a chilly environment
Both of these sensations would have been too drastic of a change in your pet and this may have been what caused the twitching.
What to do:
This may seem dramatic but it’s common and isn’t something to worry about, if your pet does this just keep an eye on your little guy to make sure its behavior doesn’t change for the worst
If the animal starts to become ill or starts to behave negatively then you may need to take your pet to the vet.
It is being held upside down:
If your pet twitches on occasion, say when it is being held upside down, then the animal may simply be twitching because it doesn’t like being held upside down.
The only time a tortoise would be held upside down would be if it were being held by a predator so your holding the reptile upside down in this way would freak it out and make it twitch
What to do:
Holding the reptile upright will quickly resolve this problem and as long as the animal isn’t being held in this way anymore it will be fine.
Just keep an eye on it making sure that it doesn’t start acting oddly, that it doesn’t start acting sick, and that its behavior doesn’t take a turn for the worse overall.
If your pet does start acting strange, ill, or distressed then it’s advised that you take your tortoise to the vet.
Metabolic bone disease:
Another reason why your pet tortoise may be twitching may be because it is suffering from metabolic bone disease.
This condition is caused by a deficiency of vitamin D3 or a deficiency of calcium in the animal’s body.
There are many symptoms of this condition in your pet tortoise but one of the first signs of this condition in your tortoise is twitching
Other signs of this condition in your pet include wheezing, open-mouth breathing, and lethargy.
What to do:
Metabolic bone disease in your pet is considered a very serious condition, if you suspect that this is what is wrong with your pet then taking it to a vet, or better yet, taking it to a Herp vet, is recommended.
Your tortoise will be better off if it is examined and treated by a professional
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: Turtle Kicking Legs While Basking, Red-Eared Slider Scratching Head, Why Is My Turtle Rubbing His Head, Why Is My Turtle Rubbing His Eyes, Why Does My Turtle Twitch While Basking, Why Is My Turtle Spazzing?, Why Is One Turtle Bigger Than The Other?, Why Is My Turtle Jumping, Tortoise Head Twitching
