Urgent Care :: TURTLE DROWNING

[Kyurois]

My little turtle just drowned. He's still alive, and we got all the water out of his lungs and are doing turtle CPR on him to help his breathing. It's sunday and no local vets are open. Can someone give me any other advice other than to keep him warm?

[Kyurois]

Also, he was fine before all this. I don't know if he got stuck, but I found him floating next to his basking ramp. I put some de calcifier in the water earlier, maybe he had a reaction to it? It was Mardel TankSoft.

[rachel16]

This document may be freely distributed for non-profit use, provided this notice is included.

The following information is compiled from a variety of articles in various newsletters. I have tried this myself, too.

Both water turtles and box turtles can drown. Even a drowned turtle that looks quite dead might just be waiting for you to help it get its breath back. Remember that turtles can be without oxygen for a long time, especially in cool water, before the damage is irreversible.

First and foremost: NEVER TURN THE TURTLE/TORTOISE ON ITS BACK. Turning it on his back might remove the little airspace still left in the lungs.


Grasp the turtle's head behind the ears (base of skull) and extend the neck completely.
Turn it head-down/tail up and open its mouth. Usually, some water will flow or drip out at this point. Wait until the dripping stops.
Place the turtle (belly down) on a flat surface with its neck extended. Stand in front of the turtle.
Straighten his front legs and pull them straight toward you as far as they will go.
Keeping the legs straight, push them in as far as they will go. Do not let the legs bend at the elbows.
Continue pulling and pushing until water stops coming out.

Now it's time to take your turtle to the veterinarian. The veterinarian will insert a tube and start providing the turtle with pure oxygen. He may give a respiratory stimulant and a drug that will help the turtle excrete the water accumulated in its tissue. After this, the turtle will probably regain consciousness and start moving. Since some turtles develop pneumonia after drowning, the veterinarian will most likely recommend a course of antibiotics.

A note on mouth-to-mouth (or straw to mouth) breathing. I've seen it described in one place. I don't know whether it works, and I don't know whether the risk of blowing in too hard and damaging the lungs is worth it. The above instructions are proven to work in many cases.

A note on baby turtles: The smaller the turtle, the harder it is to help the animal, simply because of its small size.





this is all i know sorry

[megcornell]

When he was floating I assume his head was above water.. it's not like he was trapped under the water correct?
Is he still listless? I don't know what you mean by turtle CPR, but if he's breathing and the water is out of his lungs the best thing you can do is to dry dock him for the night someplace quiet and safe. Anytime turtles get water in their lungs there's a chance to develop RIs so you'll also want to boost the water temperature to 80-82 to boost his immune response. If you notice any signs of illness you should take him to the vets before his condition worsens. And if he was trapped, fix your tank so he cannot make that same mistake twice.
How much de calcifier did you add to the water? And what for? Usually people just use water conditioner...

[Kyurois]

When he was floating I assume his head was above water.. it's not like he was trapped under the water correct?
Is he still listless? I don't know what you mean by turtle CPR, but if he's breathing and the water is out of his lungs the best thing you can do is to dry dock him for the night someplace quiet and safe. Anytime turtles get water in their lungs there's a chance to develop RIs so you'll also want to boost the water temperature to 80-82 to boost his immune response. If you notice any signs of illness you should take him to the vets before his condition worsens. And if he was trapped, fix your tank so he cannot make that same mistake twice.
How much de calcifier did you add to the water? And what for? Usually people just use water conditioner...

His head was under the water, but he wasn't trapped. He is still listless, but occationaly he lifts his head and "roars" at us for being so close. That's normal for him, he thinks he's a tough little thing. Turtle CPR, pulling his head out,and forcing his front legs in and out with out letting his elbows bend, just like Rachel16 posted above. We just read it some where when my dad just looked stuff up. His water is always 82 because thats where he likes it. The decalcifier is water conditioner, I put it in to make the water softer for the filter because our water is as hard as a rock, it's well water. I followed the directions, one capfull for 5 gallons of water, so 3 caps.

[marisa]

I'd keep him a little warmer than usual (80-82F), but you've said you've already got the temp around there, and keep him in shallower water so he doesn't have to use up energy. Keep an eye on him for signs of respiratory distress. If he's gotten water in the lungs, he's more susceptible to an RI, even though you think you've gotten all of it out.

[Kyurois]

Well, Mikey died last night. I guess thanks for your help guys but he really was little... We're going to look in to the water conditioner stuff to see if there should be a warning on it that there isn't. A healthy turtle just shouldn't go that fast.

[megcornell]

Sorry for your loss Kyurois...
Sometimes unfortunately hatchlings are just too weak to survive a trauma like Mikey experienced. Even if kept in optimal conditions it just takes a thing or two to send them down a path of deterioration. You really did everything you could to help Mikey out. The fact that he seemed to drown without being caught on something shows that there was probably something else going on with him health-wise, which he most likely had way before you came along.

[marisa]

I'm sorry to hear you lost him. If he was small, he was weak to begin with. Some aren't meant to make it, even though you try your best.

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.