Cold Temperatures! – The Turtle Hospital. Rescue, Rehab, Release. (2024)

FAQs

What temperature is too cold for a turtle? ›

If water temperatures fall below 50˚F (10˚C) and turtles are present in the area, they are at great risk of becoming cold-stunned.

Though many animals go into hibernation during the cold months, turtles do not hibernate the same way most species do. Instead, turtles go to the bottom of a body of nearby water and bury themselves in the mud. They stay under the mud until the weather is consistently warm again.

A cold stunned sea turtle is one that has become hypothermic due to severe cold weather. Like all reptiles, sea turtles are ectothermic (cold-blooded) and cannot regulate their body temperature. If water temperatures drop below approximately 50°F (10°C), sea turtles become lethargic and are unable to swim.

These events most often occur in shallow bays and lagoons, and in areas where geography blocks a sea turtle's path to warmer water. In the United States, cold-stunning events tend to happen in these areas: Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. Long Island Sound, New York.

One of the most common reasons a turtle or tortoise gets a respiratory infection is due to its environment being too cold. 1 Cold temperatures in a turtle enclosure are often due to: Not monitoring temperatures in the enclosure.

Turtles don't have that option. They also can't remain active in winter because they are ecotherms (cold-blooded) and hence their body temperature is determined by the environment. They would freeze to death as soon as air temperatures went below zero.

As you probably know, turtles are cold-blooded, so their body temperature is dependent on the temperature of their environment. This poses a problem when winter comes because if their bodies freeze, turtles won't survive.

Additionally, make sure that the temperature inside the aquarium or turtle box is between 68 to 72 degrees, since turtles will not eat if the temperature is too cold. You should also provide your turtle with 12 to 14 hours of light through a UVB bulb and an incandescent bulb to help boost its appetite.

Even at peak oxygen levels, water has a lower concentration of oxygen than air, making lungs more of a hindrance than a help to turtles. Instead, turtles rely on an adaptation that allows them to “breathe” through the skin of their legs, the lining of their mouth, and the cloaca, or rear end.

To help a cold-stunned turtle recover, doctors and technicians slowly warm the animal to its normal body temperature. That's between 77 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Turtles get into trouble when the water temperature falls to 50 degrees. In addition, the rehab teams administer medications and treat injuries.

How do you know if a turtle is in distress? ›

How can I tell if my turtle is sick? Signs of disease in turtles may be specific for certain diseases, such as nasal discharge in the case of a respiratory infection, tilting while floating due to pneumonia, or shell deformities with MBD.

Only a small handful of turtle species can freeze as hatchlings, and of those, only the Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) can also freeze as an adult (Box Turtles being the only species with freeze-tolerant hatchlings that overwinters on land as an adult).

What is the coldest place in the world? It is a high ridge in Antarctica on the East Antarctic Plateau. On a clear winter night, temperatures there can drop to -135.8° Fahrenheit. The coldest spots develop just downhill from the ridge along a 620-mile stretch between two summits.

At a bone-chilling minus 144 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 98 degrees Celsius), NASA says the East Antarctica Plateau in Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth.

Sea turtle are cold-blooded reptiles that depend on the temperature of their surroundings to maintain their body temperature. Sea turtles can normally control their body temperatures by moving between areas of water with different temperatures or basking in the sun at the water's surface or on the beach.

A. For most reptiles, including turtles, when their body temperatures reach 40 to 50 degrees F, they become sluggish, stop eating and seek hiding places to get safely through the winter. Many aquatic turtles go into the bottom mud or under the bank where the water is cold but does not freeze.

When water temperatures fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, sea turtles can become “cold-stunned” and enter a coma-like state. As reptiles, they depend on their environment to regulate their body temperature, so extended exposure to the cold can be fatal.

For red-eared sliders, water temperature should be kept between 75°F and 85°F, and the basking area temperature should be about 85°F to 95°F. All temperatures should be monitored with the use of thermometers.

When the temperatures fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the turtles become nearly motionless, do not eat or defecate, and their breathing rate slows. They do still need to drink water (unlike hibernating animals). “In warmer winter climates, they can become active and come to the surface for basking.