Seeing a turtle that is upside down is surely not a typical position you can find your reptile in. You see, usually it means that they are unhappy with the habitat you prepared for them, they are sick, or simply they just lost a fight with another turtle. Usually, staying upside down is not recommended for turtles. However, does it bring any danger to their health? Is it possible for a turtle to breathe when upside down?
Well, yes. Turtles can breathe upside down, so you don’t have to worry about your pet suffocating. However, it surely makes it more difficult, so you should never leave a turtle like that for too long. However, what are the reasons for a turtle to find itself in such a position? Are there any threats besides difficulties in breathing? And how long can turtles stay upside down? There are quite a lot of questions regarding this subject, and today I will try to answer them all.
My own experience as a turtle owner as well as knowledge that I gathered in the past several years allowed me to understand the most common reasons for a turtle to flip over. Obviously, I was a witness of such a situation more than once and as a result, it is perfectly clear to me how to act and how long I have to help out my turtle. In this article I will briefly talk about the reasons for turtles to flip over as well as how to fix it.
Why do turtles land upside down?
First of all, let’s begin with the most common reasons, which are not as dangerous and life threatening as some others. You see, turtles can flip over because of the terrain they find themselves on. Sometimes people don’t take into account the preferences these reptiles have and, as a result, their habitat is not as suitable for turtles as it should be. Therefore, turtles flip over because they are not accustomed to objects that somehow disrupt their terrain.
Besides that, these reptiles can also find themselves upside down because of their age. If turtles are old, their muscles are surely much weaker than in their adulthood years. Because of that, they will flip on their back unintentionally. If your turtle has not been flipping over earlier on (or it has been on rare occasions) and now it happens quite a lot, consider his age as one of the factors.
If there is more than one turtle in a tank, then you should also consider their fights. Usually, turtles are not so keen on roommates and companions. They prefer a solitary lifestyle, so if you put more than one turtle in a tank, they might fight for dominance. Usually, turtles want to get rid of competition for food, favorite basking spot, or simply to ensure dominance over another male. When they fight, they usually ram and headbutt each other to the moment the weaker turtle does not roll over and land upside down.
Another reason for a turtle to land on its shell is related to respiratory issues. From time to time, especially if you can’t guarantee the right temperature range and there is not enough vitamins and minerals in the pet’s diet, your turtle may have troubles with breathing. Symptoms of a respiratory infection do not appear all at once, but if we don’t notice the first abnormalities, then later on your turtle may struggle to keep its position. It is all mainly due to the inner ballast, which heavily affects the buoyancy of a turtle. Basically, it means that your turtle will struggle swimming straight and begin swimming sideways or even upside down.
How long can a turtle stay upside down?
If you don’t want to risk any dangerous complications related to such a situation, you should never leave a turtle upside down for longer than 5 minutes. Turtles usually figure out how to roll over and save themselves, but from time to time they are unable to do that. Bear in mind that within the first hour there can be a lot of different injuries – from minor up to even fatal ones. That is why if you ever notice that your turtle flipped over and it can’t help itself for longer than a minute, you should definitely help it out.
A turtle that is upside down does not always mean that you are dealing with a serious problem. Sometimes these reptiles flip upside down and if it happens from time to time, you should not treat it as a serious threat to its health. The thing that should make you worry is an often occurrence of such situations. Then, the best thing you can do is to take your turtle to the vet.
What to do in order to prevent turtles from rolling upside down?
There are several things worth doing if you notice such a thing to occur. Let’s start from the most common solutions:
Fix the habitat
One of the biggest troubles for novice turtle owners is setting up the tank in the right way. You see, if you have a turtle set in a new tank, then the reason for your turtle to roll over is closely connected to the way the container is set up. Turtle’s habitat should always be prepared with the thought of its crucial needs, namely the need to swim, to bask, and to explore nooks and corners.
You have to make sure that you do not have too much shallow water in the tank, because this is the most dangerous situation to your turtle. Imagine a situation where your turtle flips over in the shallow water. Its entire body is above the surface, while the head is beneath the surface. These reptiles love swimming but from time to time they have to resurface to grasp some air. If a turtle keeps its head in the water all the time, it will most definitely drown.
Turtles should be able to turn themselves back underwater, so making the water as deep as 3 times the length of the turtle’s shell is the best option for you. What is more, we have to make sure that there are no plants, decorations, and other objects of this kind that would make your turtle tip over.
Separate aggressive turtles
It is surely a difficult task to keep two turtles in the same tank, especially if they are adult males. Juveniles and young turtles will do just fine. Some people even noticed that younger reptiles may have a very good time with each other. Sadly, adult males will never get along. As a result, you should think of separating turtles. You can do that by either changing one habitat into two (even smaller ones as long as they are of appropriate size for a turtle) or simply enlarging the tank and making two separate habitats in there.
Now you know if turtles can breathe upside down!
In the case of turtles, breathing is still possible when they are upside down. However, it doesn’t change the fact that it is surely much more difficult. Therefore, you should never leave a turtle like that and if you notice it has some difficulties flipping back, give a reptile a helping hand.
Still, in most cases your turtle should be able to flip over without your help. Especially if it is healthy and at a young age. However, if it struggles or you find the animal upside down quite often, you should definitely contact a veterinarian to see whether your turtle doesn’t need a help from a professional.
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