Stange behavior in your pet turtle, like the animal going limp, will make you question whether the animal is healthy and doing well.
This article is a look into why your turtle is limp
Table of Contents
Why is my turtle limp?
Unfortunately for pet owners, turtle owners included, pets can become sick and they can die, so any pet owner will do well to keep an eye on their pet and its behaviors
If you think there is something wrong with your pet turtle, if the animal is going limp, then you’d need to figure out why. Here is why this is happening with your pet:
Brumation:
One of the reasons why your turtle may be limp may be because the animal is going through brumation. Brumation is the turtle’s version of hibernation.
This phenomenon, both in wild and in captive turtles, is triggered by low environmental conditions.
Brumation causes the animal’s bodily systems to slow down, this is why limpness in your pet develops. A turtle that is going through brumation will still be reactive to stimulation, it will, however, be more limp.
Your brumating turtle will react if you pull on its leg, if you gently poke its eye, or if you flip it upside down, The animal is still aware of its surroundings during this time and will react to stimuli
What to do:
If your pet starts brumating you can expect this behavior to last for about 6-8 weeks.
The animal can dry out during this time so you’d need to make sure that the animal’s substrate stays moist to keep the animal from drying out.
You can also move the turtle into a cooler secluded area, like a closet or an unheated room, during its brumation
Illness:
Another reason why your pet may be weak and limp may be that the animal is ill. In this case, the animal won’t hide in its shell, or even react, when you pick it up or poke it.
A turtle will usually react when touched because it doesn’t want to get killed by a predator and needs to react fast to get away, but, if your pet gets to a point where it is too weak to react then it is likely very sick.
What to do:
If your pet gets to the point where it doesn’t have the energy to react then it’s time to get the animal to the vet.
These animals will try to appear sick as best they can until they physically can not. If your pet reaches this stage then the illness is likely very advanced and home treatments will likely do little for the animal.
The turtle has passed:
If your pet is not reacting to any type of stimulation, and is not breathing, then the animal has likely passed on.
Many other signs will tell you that your pet is dead: if the animal is cold, if its eyes are sunken in, if it is unresponsive, and if its legs and head are hanging out of the shell then your pet may be dead
What to do:
If you think that your pet has passed on soak the animal in some warm water warm it up, Make sure that its head stays above water, and then remove the animal from the water.
Once soaked, leave your pet alone for 48 hours. Keep an eye on it, and watch to see if it moves, if it doesn’t move then your pet is likely dead.
You can confirm this by taking your pet to a herp vet. The vet will examine the animal and give you a definite answer on whether your pet is dead or not.
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 Not Responding To Touch?, Why Is My Turtle Neck So Long?, Why Is My Turtle Not Using It’s Back Legs, Why Is My Turtle Eating Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Tank Cloudy?, Why Is My Turtle Not Growing?, Why Is My Turtle Not Eating In Winter?, Baby Turtle Is Not Eating, Why Is My Turtle Not Pooping?