All Turtles Message Board

ctmom05 · Guest Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

Good morning,

This is my first post here, and I am glad that I found a place to come to with my turtle questions and comments.

My husband and I inherited 3 painted turtles about 6 years ago. They have thrived over time, with advice from the pet store staff and an occasional question to our vet.

Very recently, and for the first time, I have noticed an odd behavior in one of the turtles. This morning, when I fed them, one of the turtles was floating upside down, near the bottom of the tank. My instinct was to flip her back over, altho I have seen turtles use their necks of legs to do that for themselves.

This turtle flipped itself right back over, which I countered one more time. For now it is peaceful and calm, not particularly active. One of the other turtles seems to be interested in the turtle and keeps swimming around and over it.

What does it mean when a turtle floats upside down and engages in the type of behavior I've described - mating behavior perhaps? If it is, I am surprised we have never seen this in years past.

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:19 am Post subject:

You should probably mention it to your vet, it is not a normal thing to do since when a turtle flips on its back, the normal thing to do would be to flip itself back upright, your turtle might have pneumonia or respiratory infection, I have read also that sometimes they commit suicide, although, it was not from a very reliable source, but it does make one think. Very Happy

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