Common Health
Problems
The following is just a basic
listing of some of the more common
problems turtles and tortoises are
prone to. This is just information
to help you identify the problem
your turtle/tortoise is having, not
in any way to avoid a vet visit. If
you suspect any health issue in your
turtle (both turtles and tortoises
will be referred to as turtles
unless otherwise is specified), get
it to a good turtle vet. Upon
acquiring a new turtle a health
visit should be scheduled. Not only
to have your new pet checked for
health, including a fecal test to
rule out parasites, but to make sure
you find a good turtle vet before
you need one, and to give the vet a
baseline of health information in
case the time ever comes when the
turtle does become ill.
Parasites: Parasites
are one of the most common problems
found in reptiles. All reptiles have
parasites; however in captivity the
levels carried may become lethal. In the
wild turtles are not kept in a confined
area as they are in captivity, therefore
they don’t become such a problem. Being
confined to small areas they are more
prone to have problems when an overload
does occur. This makes them more
vulnerable to disease.
Parasites can be in
the form of internal worms and protozoa
or external ticks and mites.
Some indications that
your turtle may be suffering from the
effects of parasites could be lack of
appetite, lethargy, diarrhea, undigested
food in the stool, weight loss and in
some cases they may even spit up food.
Some of the more
common parasites found in turtles are
pinworm, roundworm, and hookworm. If you
see any indication of above symptoms get
your turtle to a vet, or bring a fecal
sample to be tested and have your turtle
treated as necessary.
The more common
treatments are with the drugs
Fenbendazole (Panacur) & Metronidazole (Flagyl).
Never, ever let your vet use Ivermectin
to treat a parasite problem. That drug
can be fatal to turtles. Also, if you
own dogs, be very cautious about what
de-wormer is used for them. Ivermectin
is commonly used in Heartworm
preventative medication. If your turtle
has access to the area where your dog
eliminates it may eat the stool of the
dog and indirectly ingest the Ivermectin
and can be fatal. I know of tortoise
keepers this has happen to. For this
reason our dogs are treated with
Interceptor, which does not contain
Ivermectin.
It’s extremely
important to practice good hygiene when
keeping turtles. Be sure to keep
enclosure clean. Pick up any fecal
matter daily and clean water and food
dishes often. Wash your hands after
handling any of your turtle’s equipment.
Respiratory
Infection: Often those
keeping turtles will find their turtles
are suffering the effects of respiratory
infections. Many times the symptoms such
as runny nose and swollen eyes are the
result of poor husbandry rather than
actual infection, but if left
uncorrected will turn into an infection.
Tortoises are often kept way too dry, as
are terrestrial turtles. Although many
tortoises come from arid areas, they
spend much time in burrows where
humidity is about 70%, so keeping them
in captivity in dry dusty conditions
contributes to irritation in the eyes
and throat which triggers the symptoms
of a respiratory infection. If these
conditions are corrected early on the
symptoms will usually disappear, but if
left untreated the symptoms will worsen.
You will see open-mouthed breathing,
called gaping, and often find mucous
also coming from the mouth. If these
and/or the above symptoms occur get your
turtle to the vet immediately for
treatment. Other symptoms to watch for
are loss of appetite and lethargy.
An aquatic turtle
with a respiratory infection will
usually swim lopsided, bask more often
and breath with a gaping motion (neck
stretched out) and you will also
sometimes hear squeaking or wheezing
sounds. It's not always easy to see
bubbles from an aquatics nose, but in
some cases you will. If you suspect
infection, a vet visit is in order.
Most respiratory
symptoms can be treated with a round of
antibiotics and won’t return if good
husbandry is practiced. Avoid
overcrowding, keep substrate slightly
damp to avoid dusty enclosure, provide
essential basking areas and avoid
drafts.
Shell and Skin
Problems: When kept in
optimal conditions shell and skin
problems rarely occur. However because
turtles are kept in such confined areas
it is imperative to keep those areas
clean to avoid any problems.
Fungus is a common
problem amongst water turtles. It is
usually a direct result of poor water
quality. Keepers are often fooled into
thinking if the water is clear, it’s
clean. This isn’t so. Regular water
changes should be part of the routine of
cleaning your turtle’s tank. Half of the
water should be removed and replaced
with fresh water. Filters should be
cleaned using cool, not hot, water. This
allows for beneficial bacteria to remain
in the filter media to help keep your
tank water in pristine conditions. A PH
and ammonia test kit is good to keep on
hand. Water temperature should only be
as high as recommended for the species
kept and not higher. Often higher
temperatures lead to more skin problems
and result in turtles not basking.
Skin fungus can
usually be treated with salt baths if
caught right away. Two tablespoons of
aquarium salt per gallon of water can be
used to soak your turtle. Place them in
just enough water to cover the shell.
This should be done once or twice a day
(depending on severity) for about four
or five days.
When a turtle doesn’t
bask this can lead to shell problems.
They need to dry out the shell and do
this by sunning under the heat lamp on a
dry area provided. A turtle kept in
inadequate water and not basking will
eventually get shell rot. This problem,
if caught early enough is treatable, but
it takes vigilance on the keeper’s part
to keep it from returning. Shell rot can
take a very long time to heal. A turtle
with shell rot can end up with a
systemic infection if that rot is not
treated. It’s imperative to treat shell
rot immediately and correct the
conditions that caused it.
Tortoises are also
susceptible to shell rot, so it’s also
important to kept them from being kept
in less than adequate conditions. Always
be sure your turtles have a dry basking
area, and keep substrate and water
clean.
Metabolic Bone
Disease (MBD): This is
a condition that is the direct result of
poor husbandry. It results from the
effects of poor diet, poor or no uvb,
lack of Vitamin D, and poor calcium to
phosphorus ratio. Pyramiding is a form
of MBD which research shows is the
result of all of the above and lack of
humidity and exercise. If the onset of
MBD begins when a turtle is young, it
will develop obvious deformities.
Tortoises will show raised or stacked
scutes on the carapace, overgrown, duck
or parrot like beak and the nails will
grow oddly curved out and upward. They
will have splayed legs and have
difficulty walking upright. Many are
forced to drag their hind legs because
of this difficulty.
Turtles often show
early signs of MBD by their shells
growing curved upward, some looking like
a saddled shape. They will appear to be
thickened. Box turtles will not have a
working hinge, but rather have it frozen
in place. Some will show signs of
resorption where you will no longer see
a tail because the body is trying to get
the calcium from the bones. Often the
turtle’s legs will be thin and deformed.
As with tortoises the beak will also
become duck or parrot shaped. Water
turtles will usually show raised scutes,
some actually also pyramiding as with
tortoises. Their shells will also become
serrated even if they are a species that
normally has a rounded shell.
To avoid MBD it’s
important to provide a nutritional diet
with proper calcium and vitamin d, give
proper uvb lighting (natural sun is
best), plenty of exercise and humidity
in the case of land turtles. Providing a
cuttlebone in addition to good diet is a
good way to let your turtle supplement
itself with added calcium.
For some examples of
MBD visit the following links:
http://www.turtlerescues.org/scooter.htm
http://www.turtlerescues.org/ornate_box_turtle.htm
http://www.turtlerescues.org/knobby.htm
http://www.turtlerescues.org/toby.htm
http://www.turtlerescues.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1307
Ear Abscesses: These
are most common in box turtles. They
appear as large bulges on either side of
the head, where their ears are. The
Tympanic membrane swells and a cyst
develop will under it. As the infection
worsens so does the cyst. If your turtle
develops an abscess it is essential to
have a veterinarian examine the turtle
and determine if aspiration or lancing
of the membrane is necessary. Most often
antibiotics will also be given to the
turtle to kill off any infection. Some
vets will send an aspirated culture to a
lab for sensitivity testing. Others will
surgically remove the cyst and have that
tested, or may just treat with a
broad-spectrum antibiotic. An abscess is
very painful and should never be treated
without veterinary supervision.
Here’s a link to a photo of an Eastern
box turtle with an abscess: http://www.turtlerescues.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1678 and
a photo of the same turtle after removal
of cyst, and healing: http://www.turtlerescues.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1681 and
a photo of the puss removed from the
cyst: http://www.turtlerescues.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2522
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