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How can turtles drown? Turtles can’t breathe underwater, can they?
Actually, the answer to that is yes and no. In order for a turtle to drown it would have to be submerged in water for an extended period of time. If you see a turtle on land with its head out of the water then there’s nothing to worry about!
The average turtle can hold their breath for about 20 minutes underwater. If the water is fresh like a river or stream then they can stay down there even longer without taking in any air. However, if you’re talking saltwater which has been contaminated by pollution then that’s where things can change and quickly go from bad to worse!
If too much polluted water seeps into its shell it can cause injury to the turtles lungs, kill off his food source (shellfish) as well as making him more susceptible to parasitic infection. So what does this mean? A turtle will have no choice but to surface while he tries not only survive but also escape the nasty environment below! This puts them at risk of drowning because now they are forced to take in air which can cause them to sink.
If a turtle (or any aquatic creature for that matter) can’t get back to the surface then they will die by drowning over time and it can even happen quicker if he or she has eaten recently!
As you can see, if your turtle can’t get back to the surface then he can drown. If he is lucky enough to find his way out of the water before this happens then there are other things that can kill him such as a lack of oxygen or an infection. So what should we do? We need to make sure they have access to clean water and also provide a safe environment for them!
does a turtles lungs collapse underwater when it surfaces after swimming deep under ? – can turtles drown in their own mucus ? – will a turtle die by drowning on purpose?
How long can turtles stay submerged: n not too much time at all because once their organs start shutting down they won’t last very long.
How can you tell if a turtle is drowning: the first sign of trouble will be labored breathing or their head bobbing under water as they try to stay afloat. They may also start thrashing around and trying to climb on top of other turtles in order to get out, so it can help to put them close together when we have too many! If they still can’t find any air then it’s time for some serious action before its too late. We can use something like a net or bucket with an opening at the end that extends below the surface of the water level (you can cut holes in plastic containers) and scoop them up quickly while supporting their weight on our arm . Very gently tilt your hand from side to side to encourage them to move their head out of the water and down into your hand, then pull them up quickly . Remember that they can’t come back up on their own so it’s important not to let go or set them down until they can get a breath.
Most turtles can hold their breathe for quite awhile, often many minutes at a time but this is still something we need to take special care with when holding onto one in case things were going wrong. They also have less fat than other animals which means they are more likely to dry out sooner if left without oxygen as well
As you can see from these pictures taken by my son William during his study abroad program in Madagascar there was some concern about whether the turtles can drown.
If you are in a situation where they can’t get out of water on their own, then make sure to have your hand over them so that when they take a breath and go back under for air they can avoid panic.
Turtles also need special care in captivity which may not be possible at home or with children .
This is because we want to keep their tank very clean since most turtle live near water sources like creeks, ponds, rivers and lakes meaning there will constantly be some level of bacteria or algae growths present from time spent outside of its shelter. One such example would be an unnatural amount of slimy greenish slime covering everything in the tank.
We recommend a number of products to help with this like Zoo Med Turtle Clean, ReptoClean and Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Algae Clear for ponds or water sources that are not used by other animals in your home .
You can buy these online at many different retailers but we highly recommend you pay attention to their return policy because if they don’t work as well as promised there’s no sense wasting time and money on them.
Turtles also need special care in captivity which may not be possible at home or with children. This is because we want to keep their tank very clean since most turtle live near water sources like creeks, ponds, rivers and lakes meaning .