Struggling to breathe and gagging is not a pleasant sight to see, your turtle opening its mouth wide, having difficulty breathing and the appearance of distress are understandably very concerning to you.
This article looks into why your beloved turtle may be gagging:
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Why is my turtle gagging?
If your pet turtle has trouble breathing, or appears to have trouble breathing, then understanding the reason behind this will pave the way to finding the solution.
Here is why your turtle may be gagging:
Respiratory infection:
One serious reason why your pet turtle may be gagging may be because the animal is suffering from a respiratory infection.
More noticeable signs of this condition in your pet include bubbles coming from the nose or mouth, and discharge from the eyes, nose, or mouth but some more subtitle signs of this condition in your pet include gagging or gasping.
Other signs of this condition in your turtle include floating in the water, sinking, or swimming in circles, this happens because this condition causes issues with buoyancy, gasping for air, and bubbling around the eyes.
What to do:
This is quite a serious condition and needs medical attention from a vet.
The vet will physically examine the animal, run tests on the animal, and then prescribe medications, usually antibiotics, to help treat your sick pet.
If taking the animal to the vet right now isn’t possible then changing the animal environment will help fight the illness until your pet can get to the vet.
Do this by increasing the temperature of the water to 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit. The basking area temperature should be kept at 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit during this time.
Make sure that the reptile is also eating enough food and is eating nutritious food. Also, isolate this ill turtle so that it doesn’t infect your other pets
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 Acting Weird?, Why Is My Turtle Squeaking?, 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?