Turtles are hardy and live long lives, but once in a blue moon, they fall sick. It is more concerning as I know it can be unsettling to see the turtles struggling. The most common issue with the turtles is throwing up! Why do turtles throw up? Are you feeding them something wrong?
Turtles usually throw up for similar reasons as humans. That is having a weak digestive system for the food they consume. If the food they are consuming is hard to gobble up, they can throw it up.
We will find out all the reasons why your turtles might throw up in this article. So, stay tuned!
Do Turtles Throw Up?
Yes, Turtles throw up when they cannot digest their food. Thus, whenever the food is hard to swallow and is in big chunks, the turtles tend to find it difficult to digest it. Turtles choke and throw it out when turtles eat undigestible stuff like rocks and pebbles.
If you see white-string along with the food they ate, it is a normal thing for your turtle! Thus, you do not need to worry as much. However, if it throws up more frequently, then you must check into it.
Why Do Turtles Throw Up?
Turtles throw up because of problems in digestion, but there can be more reasons. Find out the reason behind their puking so that you can prevent it from happening further!
- Food is bigger than that of the turtle’s throat
- Feeding more than necessary
- Digestion problems
- Turtles suffering from insects, worms, and parasites
- Rocks and pebbles swallowed by turtles
Digestion Problems
Turtles cannot digest everything and anything. Thus, you have to be very careful about what you feed your turtles. The hard and fast rule for this is not feeding them things that you will not normally find in their natural habitat. If you are feeding such foods, remember that you are using your turtle as a test subject.
Because anything can happen when you feed your turtles something new. Some of the foods that are a no-go for your turtles are:
- Chocolate
- Candy
- Raw meat: Since there can be bacterial infections from raw meat, it should very well be avoided for wild turtles.
- Dairy Products
- Nuts
- Cooked chicken bones
- Dog or cat food
- Processed Food
- Poisonous Plants
- Excessively salty foods
- Iceberg lettuce
- Veggies’ High Amount Of Oxalates
Dairy Products
Dairy products are hard to digest, even for most humans. Yes, your turtle can be lactose intolerant like you! This causes your turtle an upset stomach and in return, makes them puke up other foods too. Thus, you must not feed dairy products to your turtles.
Food High In Protein
Protein is essential for overall growth. However, if any living being has high proteins, it can cause overgrowth. Furthermore, there is an inability to digest the protein which causes turtles to throw up.
To make sure your turtles do not eat each much protein, create a diet plan and feed accordingly.
You can even feed them a balanced diet on a regular basis to make sure they have all the nutrients they need for proper growth and health.
You should feed your turtle both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods.
Note: Excessive protein-rich foods can even cause pyramiding.
Uncooked Food
Turtles cannot eat uncooked food when held captive. We provide processed foods and whenever we feed turtles raw food, it can cause issues. There can be parasites in the turtle’s food, causing them to vomit.
You may find your turtles getting food poisoned often with uncooked food. If this is a regular issue for you, you can just give them regular pellets. Find a balance between a plant-based and meat-based diet for your turtle. This will help them to digest the food better and get all the required nutrients.
The next thing that will help you is wetting the food for the turtle. You might already know that dry foods take a longer time to digest. Thus, soaking pellets in tuna water can be the golden spoon for your turtle.
Big Chunks Of Food
Captive turtles are small, and their throat is even smaller. Furthermore, turtles can swallow without chewing their food. Thus, it is harder for them to swallow a big piece of food.
This is where you have to step in. Break down the pieces of food into smaller particles so that it is easier for your turtle to swallow and digest.
Rocks and Pebbles
Sometimes turtles mistake the rocks and pebbles for food. Any small particles can be taken as food by the turtles. For extremely small pebbles, the turtle will excrete out. But bigger rocks can be stuck in their throat itself.
You can see your turtle choke and struggle if you are unlucky. But if you are lucky enough, it will puke it as fast as it can.
Feeding More Than Your Turtle Can Handle
Turtles eat slowly but can eat for a longer duration. It is very satisfying to see them devour their food. Thus, sometimes we tend to overshare and overfeed our turtles for our own gratification. However, sometimes we do this without much knowledge.
Whatever the reason, you should not feed your turtle more than it can handle. If your turtle overeats, it pukes out even more than it should. Thus, make sure you feed it as much as it can digest.
However, do not consider underfeeding your turtle too. It might obstruct the growth of your turtle in that case. Thus, the stage of your turtle can also determine how much you should feed your turtle.
You must feed a baby turtle more than an adult turtle as it is in the growing stage. It will even ask for food from you. However, do not overfeed by giving up on your cute turtle’s tricks, or you will end up having to clean the throwing up.
So, how much should you feed your turtle, then? You must feed your turtle based on the size of your turtle’s head. It also depends on how much your turtle can eat up in 15 minutes.
Worms and Parasites
If your turtle’s intestines and other digestive parts are infested with worms and parasites, it cannot eat as much. The worms will cause your turtle to throw up. If the situation is grim, worms like nematodes lay eggs inside your turtle’s stomach. They can even hatch and mature in the system causing more than more worms to grow.
Your turtle will seem obese but cannot eat more. In this case, you should take it to the vet. You can also feed fenbendazole if worms are infesting your turtle. To find out the symptoms, you must see if:
- Vomiting often
- Upset Stomach
- Eat Less
- Color of poop changes
- Weight loss
- Dehydration
Dehydration Or Lack Of Water
The lack of water causes a dry throat. Water helps us to swallow as well as break our food down to pieces which in turn assists in digestion. But if your turtle has a low water balance in its system, it will choke and have trouble swallowing its food.
Dehydration has many causes, too such as:
- Lack of Clean Water
- Bad Diet
- Bad Water Quality
- Wrong water parameters
- Diseases
Adjusting To The Environment
Do you sometimes throw up when you are anxious? Your turtles do too. If your turtles find it hard to adapt to the new surrounding, they will eat faster than usual. It will even eat anything that it finds inside the tank confusing the decorations or substrate with food.
Thus, causing your turtle to have an upset stomach and throw up. The waste by other tank mates can also cause your turtle’s digestion to become poor.
Poisonous Plants
All plants cannot be consumed. If toxic plants are inside your turtle’s digestive system, it can cause them to vomit as well. The turtle can even have intestinal damage if the plants are consumed for a longer time.
Some of the plants that are unsafe for your turtles are:
- Hyacinth
- Onion, potato, and avocado plants
- Azaleas
- Carolina Jessamine
- Amaryllis
- Asparagus Fern
- Rhododendron
- Most plant seeds and bulbs
- Bird of Paradise shrub
Vitamin A Deficiency
A deficiency of nutrients is another cause of your turtle to throw up. If you are feeding improper diet to your turtles, you cannot expect their health to be at par. Thus, feed your turtles a balanced diet with plants as well as meat. Make sure the quality of pellets you feed is high.
If what you feed is very low in vitamin A, your turtle will suffer from grave consequences of hypovitaminosis A. This can cause:
- skin-related problems,
- respiratory tract, kidneys, and eye complications
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Mucus and pus-like discharge from mouth, nose, and eyes.
- Swollen eyelids
- Lethargy
What To Do When Your Turtle Throws Up?
Even after many efforts, your turtles can sometimes throw up. This can be a horror for you. But do not be anxious. Remain calm and see how much your turtle throws up. If it happens only once in a blue moon, you do not have to worry as this is normal for the turtles.
However, if it is a frequent occurrence for the turtles, then you should visit the vet immediately.
Steps to take when the turtle vomits:
- Check the food the turtles eat. Give only high quality balanced diet. Avoid foods that are uncooked, stale, and toxic.
- Look for the correct water parameter. Make sure your turtle is not throwing up because of ammonia, nitrite nitrate poisoning.
- Settle the best temperatures for your turtle.
- Make sure your turtle is hydrated.
- Take your turtle to the vet if throwing up continues to happen.
Occasional vomiting occurs in case of a tank setting mistake or bad food. In most cases, a bad diet is a culprit.
Signs Of An Overfed Turtle
Some of the signs of overfeeding a turtle can be:
- Your turtle becomes obese with a layer of skin in the neck and limbs. Turtle shells cannot even get its body to fit inside properly.
- Reaching sexual maturity early
- Growth is rapid in baby turtles. Turtle shells shed more than normal.
- If their food is not controlled, organ failures and breathing issues are unavoidable.
Do Sea Turtles Throw Up?
Yes, any turtles can throw up as usual. Indigestion is a common disease. Thus, like freshwater turtles, sea turtles puke too. Sea turtles eat all kinds of raw food and plants growing on the seabeds. They can even overeat every now and then.
Thus, this can cause them to throw up! Some turtles even consume red limu blooms which makes them look like they are throwing up blood!
Final Words: Do Turtles Throw Up
Turtles eat anything and everything. Thus, as a turtle owner, you must be careful of what they are eating. You must also monitor what you are giving them. Make sure you are giving them a balanced diet and not serving them more than they can digest.
Thus, you can save your turtle from facing many complications and organ failure if you care enough.
You might also be interested in:
- Do Owls Eat Turtles? – The Ultimate Guide
- Can Turtles Eat Spiders? Will Your Turtles Die?
- Why Do Turtles Get Upside Down? Can Turtles Die?
- Can You Eat Turtles? Here’s What You Need to Know
- Do Turtles Have Knees? Weird and Wonderful Turtle Facts
- Turtle Or Snail: Which Is Faster? You Might Be Surprised!
