Why Is My Turtle Floating? (+What to Do)

As innocent as it might seem a floating turtle is not something good. Turtles don’t normally float. If you see your turtle floating, it’s because it can’t get underwater, and as bad as this might sound, the cause of the problem can be even worst.

Turtles can float in their tanks for two reasons. A gas buildup or a respiratory infection. The floating itself is not dangerous to a turtle, but a respiratory infection is, and if that is the cause you should go see a veterinarian, to treat your turtle.

The best way to differentiate between a gas buildup and an infection is to see if your turtle is listing, which means that it’s bobbing from side to side or it’s tilted towards one side or is unable to submerge. Then you are not dealing with a gas buildup, but with a respiratory infection, which is way more dangerous.

Now let’s see what you can do to prevent both of those things from happening.

How to Prevent Gas Buildups

The most common causes of gas buildups are medicine and new food. So if your turtle is on any kind of medicine, that is the cause. Or if you made a change in your diet, tried some new pellets, or some new vegetables, then most likely they are the cause.

So to prevent this from happening return back to the old diet.

Those gas buildups will usually fix themselves very quickly and should possess no danger to your turtle.

How to Prevent Respiratory Infections

Respiratory infections can be caused by quite a few things like improper temperature, lack of UVB light, poor diet, and overall improper living conditions.

The best way to prevent a respiratory infection is to take proper care of it. So let’s go over some of the basic stuff that you need to know and do in order to make sure that your turtle won’t have any health problems. And we’ll start with the basking area.

The Basking Area

The basking area is the place where turtles regulate their body temperature, get rid of the bacteria on their shell, and get UVB light that boats their immunity system, and the basking area has 3 main parts.

The Basking Platform

The basking platform is simply a platform on which the turtle can sit in order to bask. You can either do it yourself or buy one from Amazon, all that it matters is that your turtle can easily get into it and that it’s stable.

The Heat Bulb

Heat bulbs come with different wattages, most of them being either 50, 75, or 100. But you can also find some that are 150. So, which one should you pick? Which one is the best?

There is no such thing as a general best wattage, but there is the best wattage for each specific situation. So let’s figure out what is the best wattage for you.

In order to give an answer that will fit your setup and your turtle, we need to know two things.

The first is what temperature you can expect from a light bulb at certain distances. And second, what turtle species do you have.

Now, let’s start with the first.

Here is a chart that I made showing what temperature you should expect to achieve using different powered light bulbs at certain distances.

50 Watts	75 Watts	100 Watts	150 Watts
Distance	Temperature	Distance	Temperature	Distance	Temperature	Distance	Temperature
4 inches	104°F	4 inches	120°F	4 inches	131°F	4 inches	144°F
8 inches	81°F	8 inches	91°F	8 inches	113°F	8 inches	131°F
12 inches	73°F	12 inches	81°F	12 inches	90°F	12 inches	126°F

To make this chart I used a laser thermometer and the average temperature of the room was 75°Farenheit (24°Celsius), so you might get slightly different results depending on the temperature of your room, but unless the difference is massive the temperature of the basking area should be similar.

As for the bulbs, I’ve been using these bulbs for a few years, but from my experience, all heat bulbs are very similar, so you can use whichever you like the most. But, make sure to avoid mercury vapor bulbs, I will explain shortly why,

Now that you know what temperature to expect from a heat bulb, based on distance and wattage, it’s time to see what temperature you actually need.

Overall most turtles require a similar temperature range, but if you want to get into detail, they are slightly different. And here is a list of the most common pet turtles and their ideal basking area temperatures:

Turtle Species	Temperature Fahrenheit	Temperature Celsius
Red Eared Slider	90 – 95°F	32 – 35°C
Juvenile Red Eared Slider	95 – 100°F	29 – 37°C
Box Turtle	80 – 90°F	26 – 32°C
Juvenile Box Turtle	90 – 95°F	32 – 35°C
Map Turtle	75 – 80°F	24 – 26°C
Juvenile Map Turtle	80 – 90°F	26 – 32°C
Mud Turtle	90 – 95°F	32 – 35°C
Juvenile Mud Turtle	90 – 100°F	32 – 37°C
Musk Turtle	85 – 90°F	29 – 32°C
Juvenile Musk Turtle	90 – 100°F	32 – 37°C
Snapping Turtle	90 – 95°F	32 – 35°C
Juvenile Snapping Turtle	95 – 100°F	29 – 37°C
Pond Turtle	85 – 95°F	29 – 35°C
Juvenile Pond Turtle	90 – 100°F	32 – 37°C
Cooter	80 – 85°F	26 – 29°C
Juvenile Cooter	90 – 100°F	32 – 37°C

As you can see juvenile turtles, which means younger turtles that can’t be classified as adults, will require a temperauter that is slightly higher than that of an adult, but overall the difference is not that significant.

The UVB Bulb

When it comes to choosing UVB bulbs things are a little more complicated due to the huge variety of wattages, in which UVB bulbs can be found. And then there is the fact that most manufacturers have a different rating system, and some of them have no instructions at all.

So, for UVB bulbs, I am going to give you the exact distance for a few bulbs that I’ve used before that comes from a reputable manufacturer, and I will provide links to Amazon, where you can get them

Zoo Med
UVB Bulb	Distance
ReptiSun 5.0 Mini CFL	5 inches
ReptiSun 5.0 CFL	7 inches
ReptiSun 10.0 Mini CFL	7 inches
ReptiSun 10.0 CFL	10 inches
ReptiSun 5.0 T8 Linear	6 inches
ReptiSun 5.0 T5 Linear	8 inches
PowerSun 80W	7 inches
PowerSun 100W	10 inches
PowerSun 160W	22 inches

And in case you have something between the UVB bulb, like a net, or a grill, you want to move the bulb closer by one inch, as anything in between the turtle and the bulb will reduce the amount of UVB rays.

One more thing to keep in mind is that UVB bulbs will stop producing UVB rays, way before they will stop producing light. On average I would say that a UVB bulb only produces UVB rays for only half of its lifespan. I measured the amount of UVB light produced by the bulbs and noticed that after about 6 months, the amount drops considerably, so I change my light bulbs at around 6 months, and I would advise you to do the same.

And if you want to measure how much UVB light your bulb produces you can use this device. While it’s a little bit expensive, overall it will save you money since you will know exactly when the bulbs run out of UVB light, and it will help your turtle remain healthy. But it’s not a requirement.

The Tank

Now we will move to the tank. In the tank, you need two things to make sure that your turtle stays healthy. A water heater and a water filter. The water heater will keep the water at an appropriate temperature, and the water filter will keep the water clean.

The Water Heater

The first thing that you want to know about water heaters is what temperature you want to achieve. Most turtle species require slightly different water temperatures. Here is a list of some of the most common pet turtle species and the water temperature that they require.

Turtle Species	Temperature Range
Red-Eared Slider	72°F – 76°F (22°C – 24°C)
Yellow-Bellied Slider	75°F – 80°F (24°C – 27°C)
Mud Turtle	74°F – 78°F (23°C – 26°C)
Spotted Turtle	75°F – 80°F (24°C – 27°C)
Map Turtle	70°F – 75°F (21°C – 24°C)
Diamondback Terrapin	75°F – 82°F (24°C – 28°C)
Painted Turtle	75°F – 80°F (24°C – 27°C)
Pond slider	78°F – 82°F (26°C – 28°C)
Musk Turtle	74°F – 82°F (23°C – 28°C)
River Cooter	72°F – 77°F (22°C – 25°C)

Once very important thing to remember about this table is that those temperatures are meant for

If you own a baby or a juvenile turtle you should know that they require slightly warmer water than adults do, but not by much, usually an extra 5° should be enough.

If you want to see a table for juvenile and baby turtles you can find one in this article: The Correct Turtle Tank Temperature (Beginners Guide)

Now that we know what is the correct temperature for turtle tanks, let’s see how we can get that temperature.

To be able to control the temperature of the water in the tank you are going to need a water heater, but not any water heater will do. You need a water heater that:

Has a heat guard – so that your turtle won’t get too close and burn itself
Is sturdy – turtles tend to break things in their tank, so you need a heater that won’t break easily
Adjustable temperature – not all heaters are adjustable, so make sure that you get one that is
Has enough power – turtles need big tanks, and not all heaters are able to heat a turtle tank, as most of them are designed for smaller fish tanks.

If you want a recommendation, here is a link to the tank heater that I’ve been using for the last 5 years: Submersible Aquarium Heater. I don’t have too many things to say about it, it’s a good and reliable heater, it comes with a guard, and you can easily select the te

The Water Filter

Turtles are really messy and can make a clear watered thanks into a cloudy mess in just a couple of days. And all this mess that they are creating is the perfect place for harmful bacteria to grow. To prevent this from happening you need a water filter.

A good water filter will be able to keep your tank clean for days, even weeks. But a bad water filter won’t be able to keep up with your turtle and in just a couple of days, the tank will be a mess.

And surprisingly enough, most people choose to buy the wrong water filter for their tanks. And when I say wrong I don’t mean the wrong model or the wrong brand, no. The problem is that those filters don’t have enough power.

Filters are rated based on how much water they can cycle, so we have 20-gallon water filters and 60-gallon water filters. The problem is that most of those filters are rated for fish tanks, not for turtle tanks. And the amount of mess a fish mess doesn’t even compare to the mess a turtle makes.

For a turtle tank, you should get double the power that the tank needs. So if you have a 40 gallons tank you should get a filter that is rated for 80 gallons, not for 40. If you have a 60 gallons tank then you should get a 120 gallons water filter, not 60.

You can always go higher, this will only keep the tank clean for longer. But going lower will usually mean that you will have to clean the tank a lot more often, and the water will start to smell bad really soon.

You can also my recommendations for the best water filter on the Recommended Gear page.

The Diet

Food is what gives turtles the energy to do their daily activities, but it also gives them the energy to keep their immune system up. If they don’t eat the right kind of food, or if they don’t eat enough of it theiy will be more susceptible to getting sick.

What to Feed Your Turtle

A balanced diet will look like this:

80% pellets
10% fruits and vegetables
10% meat / dried insects

As you can see fruits, vegetables, meat, and insets only make up a very small portion of what you should feed your turtle. And the reason for this is simple, good pellets have everything that a turtle needs.

While you could give your turtle a diet that doesn’t use pellets at all, it will be very hard to balance it out, and there will be no benefits to it.

The only reason why you want to give your turtle something else besides pellets is to simply mix things up a little and to give them something that they might enjoy a little more than pellets.

This is why it’s extremely important to choose a good brand of pellets in the first place. As for which pellets are the best, I would recommend you to check out this article: Best Turtle Food (We Tested 20 Different Brands), where I and the entire team of TurtleOwner.com go over our experience with multiple brands and see which one is the most nutritious and best suited for a turtle.

How Much and How Often to Feed Your Turtle

Over the years there have been a lot of debates on those subjects, but now after many years of experimenting, everybody has come to the conclusion that the best way to feed a turtle is the size of the head method.

The size of the head method is this:

The simplest 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 less, there will be no problem. 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 grow with it.

This method was an extract from the article: How Much and How Often Should I Feed My Turtle? (+Schedule), if you want to know what other methods are out there, what you should feed your turtle, or you want a premade feeding schedule you should check out the article for all of this and more.

Final Thoughts

So a floating turtle can either be a small gassy inconvenience or a serious health problem.

If it’s gas, it will soon resolve itself, if it’s a respiratory infection you should go to the vet as soon as possible, and get your turtle checked and treated.

I hope that this article answered all of your questions and that your turtle is doing fine. IF there is anything else that you would like to ask feel free to use the comment section below, I will do my best to answer any question as soon as I see it.