Turtle Health Problems

"Hi! My name is Sarah, I’m here at Pet Land in Pembroke Pines tonight, and on behalf of expertvillage.com, I’m going to speak with you a little bit about purchasing and owning a pet turtle. When it comes to veterinary care of your turtle, it is very important that you find a qualified reptile veterinarian. You could do so by visiting the Association of Reptiling and Amphibian Veterinarians website at www.arav.com. Your turtle should be seen for an annual exam by a qualified reptile veterinarian. This my also include a fecal check and deworming as your veterinarian sees fit. Your veterinarian may make some recommendations on changing of housing and lighting for your turtle. Keep in mind that your veterinarian always has your turtle’s best health in mind when making recommendations to you. It is very important that if you are feeling like your turtle is having any health problems, that you consult your reptile veterinarian and not a pet store or a retail store or something like that. Generally when a turtle is sick, it is not something that can be dealt with with an over the counter product. Therefore once again, it’s very important that if you feel your turtle is having any health problems, consult your qualified reptile veterinarian. The most common cause of disease in turtles that we see brought into our hospital would be malnutrition. Malnutrition in turtles can lead to a number of health problems including abscesses, which we commonly see in the ears; that is secondary to Vitamin A deficiency. We would also see turtles have metabolic bone disease, which is not enough calcium in the diet or not enough exposure to natural or full spectrum lighting. This condition can cause swelling of the bones, can also cause abnormal shell growth; it will cause the shell to be soft sometimes, and can manifest itself in a number of different ways. Other problems that we see turtles for include injury, whether it be by other turtles in the enclosure, or other household pets. We’ll also commonly see turtles come in lethargic and not eating due to parasitic infection. Therefore it’s very important if you feel like your turtle’s having any health issues, you get it to a qualified reptile veterinarian as soon as possible. On behalf of expertvillage.com, I would like to thank you for letting me speak to you about your pet turtle. If you would like more information on the hospital that I work at, you may visit our website at www.extracareanimalhospital.net. If you would like more information on Pet Land in Pembroke Pines you may visit their website at www.petland.com."