Pet turtles are quite fascinating companions, these animals have a very lovely calm demeanor and their behavior is generally pretty predictable but this isn’t always the case.
If your turtle is acting weird then this article will explore why and solutions for it
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Why is my turtle acting weird?
Odd or weird behavior in your turtle will understandably puzzle you as a turtle raiser, and there are a couple of reasons for this change in behavior.
Here is why you may be seeing different and peculiar behaviors in your pet turtle:
Sickness:
One reason why your pet turtle may be acting weird may be because the turtle is sick.
Ailments that may be affecting your pet and making it act weird may be caused by bacteria in the water, parasites, poor husbandry, a poor diet, lack of UV light, incorrect temperatures in the enclosure, or poor water quality
Signs of illness in your pet include not having an appetite, lethargy, staying in their shell, swimming frantically, discharge at the nose, mouth, or eyes, gasping, open mouth breathing, poor shell quality, dehydration, and not liking the water.
The symptoms may come and go but their going doesn’t necessarily mean that the animal is healthy. There will be an overall decline in your pet’s health as the illness progresses.
What to do:
Acting quickly is a must if you think that your turtle is sick, acting fast before it becomes too late to treat the illness is important.
Taking your pet to the vet would be the best thing to do for your pet, having a professional examine, run tests on, and then diagnose your pet will be faster and more accurate than the layman doing it.
The vet will also be able to offer the correct treatments for your pet and recommend a change to your pet’s environment to solve this problem.
If you can’t get the turtles to the vet right now then isolate it till you can.
Put the reptile in an aquarium, or large container, filled with 2 or 3 inches of water to keep the animal hydrated but not swimming frantically.
Place the container on a heating pad and maintain the temperature between 86 and 82 degrees. This will help the animal fight the illness.
Add one drop of dechlorinating formula to the water. Change the water twice daily as a way of removing the bacteria in the water
Give a turtle who has no appetite a sulfa block and make sure that the animal gets sunlight and heat through a basking lamp.
Issues with habitat:
If there are issues with the animal’s enclosure then you’ll start to see odd behavior in your pet.
If the animal is trying to climb out of the enclosure, if it is running around the enclosure in circles, or if it is walking into the walls of the enclosure then there may be something wrong with the enclosure.
What to do:
Once you get your turtle’s habitat to optimal conditions and once you get it as close to how it is in the wild as you can, then your pet will go back to acting normally.
Make sure that your pet’s tank is big enough for its age and weight, the animal needs enough space to stretch its legs and exercise.
Make sure that the animal has enrichment while in the tank, give your pet enough hiding spaces as well as space to bask and swim.
Make sure that your pet’s water filter is working properly and that the temperature in the enclosure is warm enough
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 Squeaking?, Why Is My Turtle Gagging?, Why Is My Turtle Pale?, Why Is My Turtle Pooping So Much?, Why Is My Turtle Active?, Tortoise Left White Poop In Bath, Why Is My Turtle So Jumpy?, Why Is My Turtle Going In Circles?, Why Is My Turtle Always Begging For Food?