Choosing A healthy Pet turtle: The Signs Of A Poorly Turtle

Choosing a pet turtle for the first time is always an exciting experience but there are few things any potential turtle owner should look for to make sure that they will be caring for an already healthy pet turtle. You should always take the time to look for signs of a turtle with poor health so as to avoid the difficulty of trying to keep them alive especially when this is your first pet turtle.

Here are three important signs you should be on the look out for when your deciding on which turtle to choose.

1)Look for signs of a poor nutrition.

If the eyes of the turtle is not clear and bright or the turtles eyes are pasted shut this is a sign of poor nutrition and is a problem you as a turtle owner won't want to have, so avoid these kind of turtles when trying to select your ideal pet turtle.

2)Check for any respiratory problems.

A good way to determine this is to look at the turtles mouth and nose. If there are fluid bubbles or dripping coming from the nose or if there is any wheezing while the turtle breathes then it is very likely that they have a respiratory infection and you should not take on caring for such a turtle as a pet. Without the right kind of care the chances of a turtle with these symptoms living a long life is very slim.

3)Take a close look at the turtles shell.

closely examine the skin and shell of the turtle. What your looking for is any damages to the scutes such as missing or wrinkled ones. If you see anything like this it is often a sure fire sign that the turtle might have had a burn or scar injury. These types of injuries to the scutes easily become infected and can later become a big problem. The shell of the turtle should be hard and firm, if it feels thin or gives way easily to pressure from your fingertips then this is a sign that the turtles shell is not properly developed and is likely that it has had a poor diet that has been lacking in some essential nutrients.In order to help the turtle develope a stronger shell a professional or experienced turtle owner may be needed.