Obesity can be a problem for most animals, but is it also a problem for turtles? Turtles don’t seem the kind of animals that could get fat, after all, their body is mostly made out of a shell. But unfortunately for turtles, this doesn’t mean that they can’t get fat or overweight.
Can turtles get fat or overweight? Yes, turtles can get fat or overweight. If a turtle gets overweight it can have a lot of bad effects on its heath. The reason why most turtles get fat is that they don’t have a proper diet.
While getting fat for a turtle can be a very dangerous thing, it’s still something that can be easily solved as long as you take care of the problem properly. So in the rest of the article I am going to tell you what to do to prevent this from happening, what to do if it happens, and I will also tell you why being overweight is dangerous for a turtle.
Why It’s Dangerous for a Turtle to Be Fat or Overweight
Why do we all know that obesity is bad for your health, when it comes to turtle obesity, things can get even more dangerous.
A turtle’s body is mostly covered by the shell, which is part of its body. Inside the shell are all the vital organs of a turtle, heart, lungs, stomach, etc. there is very little room for fat to be there. And as a result, most of the fat will be on the limbs and neck, which can be very dangerous.
In this picture, you can see the fat gathering at the base of the leg.
We all know that turtles have a tendency to hide in their shell when they are stressed, scared, and even when they sleep. But if they become overweight this will become a real problem.
In the case of a wild turtle, this can mean that they won’t be able to hide quickly enough if they are attacked by a predator, so they will become an easy target for them. For a pet turtle, this is not necessarily a problem since there are no predators nearby. But this doesn’t mean that they are out of harm’s way.
When turtles get even more obese they will end up hurting themselves when they try to hide in their shell. They will basically try to fit in a space that is way too tight for them, and this will lead to bruises and scratches.
While a few bruises and scratches are not too dangerous on their own, after some time of continuously scratching and bruising the same area there will long term health problems. And there is always the chance that one of those scratches can get infected.
There is also the weight problem itself. Turtles are already quite heavy for their small bodies, and adding more weight will only end up adding more pressure on them. And after enough weight is added they will barely be able to move.
So overall turtle obesity is very bad and harmful. But now, let’s take a close look at how to prevent it, and what to do if it happens.
How to Feed a Turtle so It Doesn’t Get Fat or Overweight
The reason why most turtles get fat or overweight is that they are not fed properly, but this can be easily fixed.
The simplest way to find the right amount of food for your turtle is to follow the size of the head method.
The easiest way to put this method into practice is to find a small container, like a medicine cup, a shot glass, or a bottle cap. This container has to be approximately the same size as the head of your turtle, without the neck. Then you fill that container to the top, and then you can feed the food inside the container to your turtle.
You don’t always have to use a container, you can always just estimate the food that you would need to fill its head. If you sometimes give your turtle a little too much food, and sometimes you give it a little too much, things will be just fine. Your turtle won’t be affected by small differences.
This method works great because it takes into consideration the size of the turtle, and gives you a fixed amount of food that you have to give your turtle. And as the turtle grows the amount of food will change.
With this method is also very easy to determine how often you have to feed your turtle. If you follow this method you will have to feed a hatchling every day, a juvenile turtle every two days, and an adult turtle once every three days.
Most turtle species have different growth rates, but in general, a turtle is considered a hatchling until it reaches 4 inches in length ( shell length ), at that point, they become a juvenile. A turtle is usually a juvenile it reaches the age of 5, after that, they become an adult.
What to Feed Your Turtle so It Doesn’t Get Fat or Overweight
Now that you know how to properly feed your turtle, let’s see what you should actually be feeding them.
Most turtles are omnivorous, which means that they will eat meat, as well as plants. If your turtle is carnivorous (eats only meat) or herbivorous ( eats only plants), the diet will change, If that is the case use you can use the search bar on the site and search for your turtle species. I have many articles covering the exact diet of many turtle species. Now let’s return to the general diet of an omnivorous turtle.
In general, the diet of an omnivorous turtle consists of:
- Berries
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Insects
- Worms
- Fish
- Meat
- Turtle pellets
Berries, fruits, vegetables, and other plants, contain a lot of vitamins and nutrients that help remain healthy, but in general, they don’t offer too many things that help with the growth directly.
On the other hand, meat contains a lot of protein, and protein is directly responsible for the growth of the turtle. In general, the more meat the turtle eats, the bigger and faster it will grow. This is one of the reasons why baby and juvenile turtles, prefer meat over other types of food, grow faster than adults.
But too much protein can also be a bad thing. If a turtle eats too much protein, it will start pyramiding. When a turtle is pyramiding, individual scutes will begin to rise above the normal dome shape of the shell to form what appear to be pyramids.
In general, pyramiding is not very dangerous, the only time it can be considered dangerous is when the bumps become pronounced. If your turtle already shows signs of pyramiding you shouldn’t worry too much about its health, because it shouldn’t be affected in any way at this point. But you should definitely reconsider your diet.
Pyramiding is usually more common in pet turtles, but it can still happen to wild turtles as well.
If a turtle doesn’t eat, it will start to lose weight and its growth will be halted until it finds a proper food source.
If a turtle doesn’t have a proper diet, it can still grow, just not at a normal rate. By proper diet, I mean a good balance of meat, which contains proteins, fruits, and vegetables, that contain vitamins and various nutrients, and pellets, which usually contain a mix of everything a turtle needs.
When it comes to turtle pellets you should be really careful what brand you choose, most of them are quite different in what they contain, and some of them might contain too many things that could make your turtle fat.I would recommend you to check out this article where I, and the rest of the members of Turtleowner.com, choose the best turtle food on the market: Buyer’s Guide: Best Turtle Food, here you will find our reviews on the most common turtle pellets, and tell you which are the best for your turtle.
Make Sure Your Turtle Has Enough Space
As we all know, one of the key elements in staying fit is to exercise. While you won’t see a turtle running on a treadmill or doing Crossfit, too soon, they still need to get some exercise. Turtles do this by simply swimming around. You don’t need to get them any kind of fancy equipment, you just have to make sure that the tank is the proper size for them.
If you got your turtle when it was a juvenile, then it grew a lot in the last months, as most juvenile turtles do. So now the tank that you got for your turtle, in the beginning, is probably too small. As a general rule of thumb, there should be 10 gallons of water in the tank for every inch of shell your turtle has. So if your turtle was 4 inches when you got it then a 40-gallon tank should have been enough. But now that your turtle has 6 inches in shell length, that 40-gallon tank is too small. You have to get at least a 60-gallon one.
The 10 gallons per inch of shell is a rule of thumb, so it’s not exact, but you can’t go wrong with it. If this is your problem I would suggest you get the biggest tank that you can afford, and you can fit it in your home. As turtles grow older they will grow at a smaller rate, but they will still grow. So instead of changing the tank every 2 or 3 years, it’s cheaper to just buy a big one from the start.
On the Recommended Gear page you can also find my recommendations on the best tanks on the market right now, the recommendations are based on the personal experience of the Turtleowner.com team (this includes me), and a lot of research.
What to Do If Your Turtle Is Fat or Overweight
If your turtle is overweight there are a few things that you can do, depending on how overweight it is.
If your turtle just put on a little weight and it’s nothing major, I would suggest you simply identify what could be the cause. If you think that you feed your turtle too much food then you simply have to adjust its diet according to the way I described in this article. If your turtle didn’t have enough space to move around then just make sure that you get it a proper tank.
If your turtle is dangerously overweight, or if the methods above didn’t work, then you should definitely go to a vet. This might be one of the few cases where the cause can be something medical and have nothing to do with the diet or exercise. Those cases are relatively rare, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t be the case. So if you think that you should go to the vet then you should do it.
Related Questions
Do turtles grow to the size of their tank? No, how big a turtle will grow depends on its species and the living conditions. If you have a very small tank, there is a good chance that your turtle will outgrow it.
Can I make my turtle grow faster? Besides taking proper care of your turtle there is nothing else that you can do. You just have to wait for your turtle to grow.
Can turtles recognize their owners? Turtles can recognize you and they will understand that you play an important part in their lives, but they will not feel any familiarity towards you like dogs or cats would. Overall turtles recognize their owners but not in a way you would expect. You can always read more about this in my article: Can Turtles Recognize Their Owners?
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Hello I’m Mark, I own two yellow bellied sliders. I got them when they were very small. Now they are about 4 to 5 inches. I feel confident they are both males but one always tickles the others face, which I believe is a method of courting.” This makes me wonder. They are same age but one is a bit larger. Will the male do his tickling of the other if the other is also a male? I would greatly appreciate your help with this.
Thank you
Mark
Hello Mark, each turtles has it’s own personality so it is possible that your turtle might just like to do something that other turtles don’t do. In general males will show signs of aggression toward each other as they grow up, this tickle that they do might be just that. And there is always the possibility that one of the turtles is a female. When turtles are young is almost impossible to tell their gender. But as they age things become clearer. And one of the differences is the size. My suggestion would be to check out this article Is My Yellow Bellied Slider Male or Female? (Guide with Pictures). I hope this will help you.
Background of Little 🐢:
From my research, my turtle is a “False Map Turtle”. She was an abandoned girl until I took her home 8 months ago. Her age is unknown to me and a good guess is that she’s about 7-8 years old (but I could be wrong)! 🤔
I started weighing and measuring her a few months back at a two months’ interval. The last record as of 29.4.2020 is 337 gm., carapace: 13 cm, plastron: 10 cm. Two previous records taken on 28.2.2020 was 240 gm., carapace: 12 cm, plastron: 9 cm., and on 25.12.2019: 240 gm. as well! And on 29.10.2019, she was 223 gm. Now, I am concerned about this drastic weight gain of 97 gm., in a span of just two months, while her weight had remained pretty much stagnant the half year prior to that, at about 240 gm.! 😱
I have been feeding her twice a day using the “head size” method in the morning and half that amount in the evening (although she didn’t eat much in winter). Her diet mainly consists of 50% turtle pellets, 50% fresh food (no salt) consisting of fish, scallops, clams, egg white, corn, salad greens (although she didn’t like salad greens until the last few weeks). 😋
Due to the space constraint at home (and in crowded Hong Kong), she has been kept in a relatively small tank in deep water, but I do take her out to parks and streams to exercise 1-2 times a week. She’s a good swimmer and a good walker. She last logged 300 metres in 1.5 hours on a jogging track in our local park, and walking in a straight line as well (on 17.4.2020)! 🤭
Have I done anything wrong with her? Now, I am more than concerned about her sudden weight gain! Could there be a growth inside her or could she be carrying eggs, or are there other reasons for it? How could I tell her age more accurately when her growth lines on the carapace are not that pronounced to me! Please advise how I can take better care of her! 🙏
(written on 1.5.2020)
Hello Millie, the first thing that I want to tell you is that I am not a vet, and I can only give you my opinion, but don’t take this as medical advice.
Form what you are telling me it sims that you are taking really good care of your turtle. In general turtles prepare for hibernation during the winter, even if they live indoors, and the will start eating less during this time.
My best guess is that your turtle is pregnant. Female turtles will lay eggs even if there is no male around.
But the best thing that you can do if you are concerned for your turtle is to go to the vet, he is the most qualified person to help you.
I hope your turtle will be fine.
My neighbor recently gave me their turtle. I know nothing about him(if it’s even male). You can tell he wasn’t properly taken care of and I’m highly sure he’s over weight. They were feeding him three times a day(not the right food). His tank is to small for him. I am working on getting a 55 gallon.
For him being over weight, do I just assume he’s an adult and feed him every three days or do I need to slowly stop feeding him three times a day? Sorry if I made this kinda hard to understand.
The first thing that you should do is take the turtle to the vet. A vet that specializes in turtles should easily tell you if your turtle is healthy or overweight.
If your turtle is overweigh you should adjust it’s diet to what it should be, overtime the weight should adjust itself. If after a couple of months you don’t see any change you should reduce the food amount until your turtle reaches a healthy weight and then change it back to what it should normally be.
And if you want to know if your turtle is male or female you should check out this article: How to Tell If Your Turtle Is Male or Female (with Pictures)