You as a responsible turtle owner will quickly be able to tell if your pet’s behavior starts to change for the worse, a turtle that turns cold to the touch is definitely something that any turtle owner will be concerned about
This article looks into why your turtle seems to be cold to the touch.
Table of Contents
Why is my turtle cold?
Turtles are known to sunbathe quite often so these animals suddenly being cold to the touch is very concerning and confusing.
If you think that the animal is starting to feel shivers down its spine because it is cold then there is definitely something up
Here is why this may be happening with your pet:
The animals dead:
Turtles and cold-blooded animals, they will experience a drop in their body temperature if the temperature of their environment drops. But, if the animal feels too cold then this may mean that the animal is dead.
The change in body temperature is not the only sign that your pet turtle is dead, other signs of your turtle being dead include unresponsiveness, particularly in its legs when touched, deep sunken eyes, a bad smell coming from the animal, a fly infestation, a turtle floating upside down, and signs of the animal’s body decomposing.
What to do:
You can check that the animal is in fact dead and decomposing by taking your pet to the vet or better yet, taking your pet to a reptile vet. The vet will be able to examine the animal and give you a conclusion.
Brumation:
If the animal is cold, but is not dead, then the animal may be brumating, this is a sleep-like state that is similar to hibernation.
This process is similar but different to when other animals hibernate but to put it simply, turtles don’t hibernate they brumate.
Brumation causes the animal’s body to feel colder than normal.
This is a natural state of dormancy that these animals go into during the colder months of the year.
The metabolism of a turtle that is brumating, will greatly slow down and this will make the animal feel colder to the touch.
What to do:
You can check to see if your turtle is brumating by warming it up and seeing if it becomes responsive. Place your pet in a tub that it can’t climb out of and fill the tub with some water.
The water should be around room temperature and should only be filled so that it reaches halfway up the animal’s shell.
Let your turtle warm up for 15 to 30 minutes, if the turtle is still alive you will start to see signs of life in the animal. Signs of life include moving around and sometimes defecating in the water.
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 Croaking?, Why Is My Turtle Not Eating Vegetables?, Why Is My Turtle Just Lying There, Why Is My Turtle Going Crazy In Tank, Why Is My Turtle Closing Its Eyes, Why Does My Turtle Just Sit There, Why Is My Turtle Filter Making Noise?, Why Is My Turtle Filter Making Bubbles?, Why Is My Turtle Drooling?,