Turtles are quite lovely companions, they engage in quite a variety of activities including swimming around energetically and basking under their lamps to keep warm.
However, you may find your pet turtle lying down for extended periods of time and wonder why. This article looks into why your turtles do this.
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Why is my turtle just lying there?
If your turtle is lying in one spot for extended periods of time then you may wonder about the animal’s well-being. These animals are known to be very laid back, but being too laid back will raise concerns in you.
Here is why your turtle is just lying there:
Basking:
If your pet turtle is sitting under its basking lamp for extended periods of time then the animal may simply be basking.
These animals are cold-blooded and need heat from their environment to keep warm, for this reason, the animals will bask, and sit, under their basking light for long periods of time to stay warm.
What to do:
This is normal behavior and isn’t something that you’d need to worry about, as long as the animal takes a break from basking to move around and swim then your pet is likely fine.
Stress:
Stress is another of the reasons why your pet turtle may just be lying there.
Things that may cause stress in your turtle include environmental things like temperature changes, diet changes, changes in lighting, changes to the environment, or a move to a new tank.
Other reasons for stress in your pet include being bullied by another individual. All these stress triggers will trigger lethargy in your pet turtle and may be causing the animal to just lay there
What to do:
Maintaining your pet’s environment is a must, this means keeping the temperature, lighting, and objects in the environment the same throughout.
Make sure that your pet turtle isn’t being bullied by other turtles in the enclosure and make sure that your pet is happy and healthy overall.
Shedding:
Another reason why your pet turtle may just be laying there may be because the animal is shedding.
Shedding requires a lot of energy from the animal and if your pet turtle is about to shed then its energy levels may start to quickly go down.
Thus, if your pet turtle is about to start shedding soon then you may see the turtle just laying there prior to the shedding happening.
A turtle that is shedding will also be very itchy and uncomfortable and they won’t eat
What to do:
Shedding is a normal occurrence in your turtle and isn’t something to worry about, just keep an eye on your pet to make sure that it is shedding with no issues
It’s cold:
Another reason why your pet turtle is lying there may simply be because the animal is cold.
These animals are greatly affected by their surroundings, their surroundings affect their body temperature and levels of activity.
If your pet turtle is cold then proper digestion won’t happen, the animal will be lethargic, and will not be able to eat or digest properly and it will just lay there.
What to do:
Your pet reptile needs to be warmed up for it to get moving again, you can do this by letting it soak in some room-temperature water for a while. Don’t put it in warm water to soak as this may shock its system
What you can also do is check that the ambient temperature, basking temperature, and water temperature on your pet’s enclosure is correct.
Illness:
Another reason why your turtle may just be laying there may be because the animal is sick.
These animals can become infected with viral, parasitic, or bacterial infections and one of the common symptoms of a variety of turtle diseases is lethargy and just lying there.
Malnutrition can also lead to disease that leads to lethargy.
What to do:
Visiting your local veterinarian, one who preferably has reptile experience will be of help.
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 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?, Why Is My Turtle Cold?