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Water Turtle Health

Signs of Illness: Sick water turtles may exhibit a wide variety of signs. The signs noted by the turtle owner depend on the specific organs affected. Listlessness, lethargy and in appetence are common in sick water turtles. Weakness is often manifested by reluctance to enter the water. A runny nose, swollen eyes, coughing, gasping and open-mouth breathing are common with respiratory disease. Swollen eyes may also be noted with vitamin A deficiency. Water turtles that tend to tilt or tip to one side may have pneumonia or air sac. A soft shell is most often the result of a serious mineral imbalance. Defects involving the shell constitute "shell rot". Excessive straining may indicate bowel obstruction or egg-binding. Redness of the skin, often accompanied by bleeding, is usually the result of overwhelming internal infection. It represents an ominous sign. Except in the case of slow-moving or easily frightened or defensive species, healthy water turtles usually make strong swimming motions when held out of water. Healthy water turtles have bright, wide-open eyes, clear, dry nostrils, and no abnormalities of the skin and shell.

Water Turtle Diseases/Parasitic

Intestinal Parasites: A wide variety of intestinal parasites are found in water turtles, including round-worms, tapeworms and flukes. Stool analysis and white blood cell counts are useful in diagnosing parasite problems. Microscopic examination of stools reveals what type of parasite is present, thereby determining the precise treatment necessary to successfully eliminate them from the turtle. All newly acquired water turtles should be checked for intestinal parasites. All turtles in a collection should be similarly checked and dewormed as needed at least once yearly. Intestinal parasites are especially harmful if the turtle is already weakened from malnutrition or other disease.

Blood Parasites: Parasites similar to those that cause malaria in people can be found in the red blood cells of water turtles. Owners of such turtles need not be concerned because this type of parasitism is not transmissible to people. This condition can be diagnosed by microscopic examination of blood smears by an experienced veterinarian or laboratory technician. Treatment is difficult and not always undertaken. Blood parasites are much more likely to be harmful to water turtles weakened by malnutrition or other disease.

External Parasites: Recently captured water turtles are often parasitized by leeches. These should be carefully removed by a veterinarian. The turtle is then given injectable antibiotics for a few days.

Water Turtle Diseases/Infections


Captive water turtles are prone to bacterial infections because malnutrition and poor hygiene are common. Furthermore, injuries received by water turtles tend to become readily infected because of the frequently high bacterial counts in their aquatic environments.

Respiratory Infections: Upper respiratory disease and pneumonia are very common among water turtles. Signs may include nasal discharge, swollen eyes, sneezing, coughing, gasping, open-mouth breathing, lethargy, weakness and tilting to one side. Antibiotic therapy and supportive care are required in these serious cases.

Swollen Ears: Infection of 1 or both external ear canals may accompany chronic respiratory disease in turtles. Minor surgery is necessary to open up the infected canal and manually remove the pus that accumulates within it. Injectable antibiotics are given to ensure that the underlying respiratory problem completely resolves.

Septicemia (Blood Poisoning): A host of bacteria can cause severe body-wide infections in water turtles. Minor infections, such as those caused by wounds, often become worse as bacteria travel throughout the body by way of the bloodstream. Malnourishment weakens the turtle's resistance and the infection spreads. As vital organs become involved, the turtle's condition deteriorates and other signs appear. Extreme redness of the skin and bleeding into the skin are often noted in water turtles with septicemia Aggressive antibiotic therapy and supportive care are required to treat these serious cases.

Shell Rot: Defects of the shell may result from direct injury or as a consequence of malnutrition, generalized deterioration, and infection. Bacteria or fungi may cause infections of the shell. Shell rot may also occur from eating shellfish containing disease-causing bacteria. Algae may grow in shell rot defects or can themselves cause shell rot Algae may also grow on the carapace (top shell) of normal, healthy water turtles. This usually indicates poor water quality in the turtle's enclosure. Treatment usually involves restricting the turtle's access to the water, giving appropriate supportive care, and use of topical and injectable medication (antibiotics, vitamin A). The amount of time required for recovery depends on the number and severity of shell rot defects requiring treatment.

Mouth Rot: Bacterial infection of the mouth lining (mouth rot or infectious stomatitis) is usually associated with malnutrition or body-wide illness. Excessive salivation and redness of the mouth lining are .early signs of mouth rot. As the disease progresses, cheese-like pus accumulates within the mouth. An objectionable odor from the mouth may be detected aswell. Injectable antibiotics, vitamins and appropriate supportive care, including periodic cleaning of the mouth, are necessary in the treatment of his serious condition.

Salmonellosis: Before water turtles became common pets, they were frequently housed in ponds and septic tanks contaminated with human sewage and other types of waste. Continual exposure of these turtles to potentially harmful intestinal bacteria allowed the turtles to carry the infection without becoming ill.

The human handlers (frequently children) of these turtles usually do not have the same degree of resistance. Salmonella and other harmful intestinal bacteria, transferred through handling, resulted in numerous cases of human salmonellosis, a severe, often life-threatening disease of the intestinal tract. Public health laws now require that water turtles with a carapace (upper shell) diameter of less than 4 inches cannot be shipped into or sold in the US, with certain exceptions. The risk of a person's contracting salmonellosis from a pet water turtle is low. However, you should always wash your hands after handling a water turtle or cleaning its enclosure. Samples from your water turtle can be cultured by your veterinarian to see if it carries Salmonella or related bacteria, if you are especially concerned.

Water Turtle Diseases/Nutrition

Swollen Eyes: This condition often results from vitamin A deficiency and complications from bacterial disease. The immune defenses of the eye membranes often become weakened by vitamin A deficiency, making the eyes very susceptible to bacterial invasion. Treatment of this condition involves injections of vitamin A and an appropriate antibiotic. Prevention involves feeding a balanced diet.

Soft Shell: Water turtles must receive essential minerals (especially calcium), vitamin D3 and unfiltered sunlight An abnormally soft shell results if any of these 3 items is insufficient or absent. An adequately balanced diet (such as Purina Trout Chow) and sufficient periods of exposure to unfiltered sunlight or a substitute (Vita-Lite) should be provided to prevent and treat this condition. Treatment also involves dietary supplementation and periodic injections of calcium and vitamin D3. Many hobbyists immerse "turtle blocks" (solid blocks of chalk or plaster of Paris) in their turtle's water in the hope of preventing soft shell problems. Unfortunately, water turtles cannot benefit from the calcium carbonate provided by these products unless it is eaten.

Egg-Binding: Another disorder resulting, in part, from mineral imbalance or outright mineral depletion is egg-binding. This condition results when a female water turtle cannot pass one or more eggs without assistance. Signs include straining and restlessness, or profound lethargy. Calcium is necessary for the proper contraction of muscles, including those of the uterus. Egg-binding is likely if calcium is deficient in a pregnant female. Malnutrition, lack of exposure to unfiltered sunlight, and pre-existing disease can contribute to this serious, often life-threatening condition. When egg-binding is suspected, the affected female should be taken to a veterinarian at once. Calcium and hormone injections, as well as manipulation of the egg, are usually employed to relieve this condition. Sometimes, a needle can be inserted into the egg to aspirate its contents and collapse it, making it easier to pass from the female.

“One problem that is an even greater cause of egg-binding in water turtles than calcium deficiency. Since it is not natural for water turtles to lay their eggs in water, they must have access to dirt/ground for digging a hole. If mature female water turtles are kept in a tanks with no access to land, most will become stressed and many will not lay in the water, therefore retaining their eggs and causing egg-binding, infection and death if not treated and the habitat changed. Turtle keepers need to be aware of the serious problems that could arise from keeping mature female turtles in a habitat with no dirt and digging access.”

Thank you to Anita Peddicord for providing this information
Gulf Coast Turtle & Tortoise Society

Shell Deformity: General malnutrition, especially protein deficiency and mineral imbalances or deficiencies, in young, growing water turtles results in a number of problems. These may include deformity, mounding of the carapace (top shell), incomplete shell growth, and scoliosis (curvature of the spine). Captive water turtles rarely have normal-appearing shells because nearly all suffer from some form of malnutrition.