If your turtle does not move and its eyes are closed, it may be suffering from some pathological process, it has poor environmental conditions or an inadequate diet. However, it may simply be sleeping or going through a natural physiological process such as hibernation or brumation. If your turtle is in this situation, it is important to determine what the cause is in order to act accordingly.
Why isn't my turtle moving and its eyes closed?
If your turtle is not moving and its eyes are closed, it may be hibernating Actually, the term hibernation should be reserved for mammals, so from now on we will talk about brumation. When turtles brumate, their metabolism slows down and they enter a state of deep sleep during which they do not move. Some aspects that you can take into account to know if your turtle is bruming are the following:
- Turtles enter this state when the temperature is low, so one of the ways to check if your turtle is bruming is to check the ambient or water temperature temperature If it is below 10ºC, it is very likely that it is in brumation. When tortoises are kept indoors, they normally do not experience a drop in temperature such as to mist. However, it should not be ruled out that the turtle enters this state when the room temperatures are very low.
- Turtles, when they brumate, keep their extremities retracted in their shell, since they preserve muscle tone. So if your tortoise isn't moving but its limbs are out of its shell, or if its limbs come out of its shell when you pick it up, it's probably not bruming.
- An important aspect to consider is that not all bruman turtle species, but this will depend on the climate of their natural habitat. If you want to know what species of bruman tortoise consult the article Do turtles hibernate? of our site.
Another option is for your turtle to simply be sleeping or basking (bathing in the sun). You will know your tortoise is basking when it is in direct sunlight or from the terrarium light source. When turtles are exposed to the sun, they normally sleep relaxed with their limbs outside their shell.
If you are wondering why my turtle is not moving and its eyes are open and you have ruled out the above causes, you should consider the possibility that it is suffering from a pathological processWhen a turtle becomes ill, its energy and movement levels are greatly reduced. Therefore, in the event that your turtle does not move, it is important that you pay attention to the presence of other signs that may be indicators of illness. Some of these signs are:
- Spots or lesions on the shell or skin.
- Carapace discoloration.
- Secretions from the oral cavity, nose, eyes or ears.
- Respiratory signs such as cough or wheezing.
- Digestive signs such as diarrhoea.
Furthermore, it is important that you check if you are offering your turtle a food and environmental conditions appropriate to its species, age and physiological state, given that a large part of the clinical problems in turtles usually derive from poor conditions in their environment or inadequate diets. The main factors you should take care of are:
- Temperature and humidity: Turtles are ectothermic and poikilothermic animals, which means that they require exposure to the sun to maintain their body temperature or to other sources of heat, such as the substrate or warm water currents. In turtles, maintaining body temperature in an adequate range determines the proper functioning of their immune system and multiple vital functions. Therefore, it is essential that you adapt the environmental temperature to the needs of your turtle. Likewise, it is important to maintain the humidity in the correct range to avoid the appearance of dermatological, renal and digestive problems.
- Substrate and environment: Whether you keep your tortoise outdoors or in a terrarium, you need to adapt the environment to its natural environment and keep it in good hygienic conditions.
- Photoperiod: it is important to respect the photoperiod of the turtle's place of origin, since prolonging it can be a source of stress for her.
- Food: Turtles can be herbivorous, omnivorous, or carnivorous, depending on their species. An adequate diet will be one that is similar to what the animal would have in its natural habitat.
Why isn't my baby turtle moving?
If your new partner has recently arrived at home, it is normal that her behavior is somewhat abnormal and she does not move much. Turtles are animals that get stressed and frightened easily, so a change of habitat can be really stressful for them. In this case, you should give it the necessary time to get used to its new home and avoid any source of stress that could make the situation worse. To do this, keep the terrarium away from sound sources (speakers, television, etc.), prevent other pets from approaching the tank and try to handle it as little as possible possible.
As we have commented before, when a turtle remains immobile it may be hibernating or brumanting. Brumation is a natural process that affects tortoises when temperatures drop. However, in young specimens (under 3 years old) brumation should not be allowed, since they lack the necessary energy reserves to survive this process. If you have a baby turtle and you suspect that it may be brumating, go to your veterinarian for instructions on how to proceed.
As with adult turtles, if your baby turtle is not moving it may be due to a pathological processPay attention to the presence of other clinical signs that may indicate the presence of disease in your turtle and go to your veterinarian so that they can find the cause of the problem.
What to do if my turtle doesn't move?
If your turtle is bruming, you should know that it is a physiological and natural process that does not have to be harmful to it if you keep it in the right conditions. Therefore, brumation should not be interrupted in he althy animals However, if your turtle has undergone surgery or has suffered from an illness before or during During the winter period, brumation should not be allowed since it would imply a decrease in their immune response and could have serious consequences for their he alth. Similarly, it is not recommended that young turtles brumen, since they do not have enough energy resources to survive this process. Therefore, when you think your turtle is going to go into brumation, it is important that you consult your veterinarian to analyze whether or not it is appropriate for it to go into this state.
If your turtle is not moving, its eyes are closed and you have ruled out that it is misting, it is also important that you go to your veterinarian / a trusted to determine what may be the cause of your condition. First, it will analyze the environmental conditions and your turtle's diet to assess whether its condition may be due to poor sanitary management. In addition, he will carry out a complete examination of the turtle in search of signs that can guide the diagnosis. If the physical examination is not sufficient, additional tests (imaging tests, laboratory tests, etc.) will be carried out to reach a definitive diagnosis and establish the appropriate treatment.
In short, the reasons why a turtle can remain motionless and with its eyes closed can be both physiological and pathological. Therefore, discerning what the specific cause is will be essential to know whether we should act or not, and if necessary, how to proceed.
