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How do you tell if a turtle is dead? (graphic turtle content)


Miss Peregrine
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Did we have a thread like this before? :huh:

We are turtle sitting. He seemed really lethargic the first couple of days. When we pick him up his head kind of flops over. But then I think I kind of see other movement. I don't want to dispose of him if he isn't dead yet. :crying: But I don't want the other turtles to get sick.

 

Help. Our friends are gone for another 10 days and not able to be contacted.

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Oh my gosh. You're trying to re-traumatize me. This is almost as bad as Lara threatening to come over & dig ours up in the middle of the night, lol!

 

Dh says it becomes obvious--bulging eyes & such. I never saw that happen (thank goodness). But he also agreed that the next pet we'd get...if ever...would be *anything* that's OBVIOUSLY alive-or-dead.

 

We got another turtle. (Someone needed to re-home theirs.)

 

Fwiw, a floppy head would freak me out. I think if they're hibernating, parts should all be pulled inside. But I'll see if dh knows...(for what THAT is worth--he IS the guy who called & said, HEY! Go dig up the possibly-un-dead turtle...)

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Oh my gosh. You're trying to re-traumatize me. This is almost as bad as Lara threatening to come over & dig ours up in the middle of the night, lol!

 

Dh says it becomes obvious--bulging eyes & such. I never saw that happen (thank goodness). But he also agreed that the next pet we'd get...if ever...would be *anything* that's OBVIOUSLY alive-or-dead.

 

We got another turtle. (Someone needed to re-home theirs.)

 

Fwiw, a floppy head would freak me out. I think if they're hibernating, parts should all be pulled inside. But I'll see if dh knows...(for what THAT is worth--he IS the guy who called & said, HEY! Go dig up the possibly-un-dead turtle...)

 

 

 

Ha! (and sorry.)

 

Don't read on if you will be traumatized.

All parts are hanging out. One leg looks shriveled up. He is still *soft*

 

:/

 

ETA: These are tiny red eared sliders.

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When our turtle died it was REALLY obvious... bulging eyes, open mouth, bodily functions discharged, smell. I'm actually still traumatized and it was about 30 years ago.

 

The floppy head... weird! But I think it would eventually have rigor mortis...

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Annnnnndddd.... I'm officially never getting a turtle.

 

 

OP- Sorry you're in such an awkward situation. I hope the turtle ends up being ok, or at least that you're able to know for sure one way or the other.

 

It's dead. Totally.

 

The owners did say he seemed sick and the mom jokingly told me to save him for them if he died so its not totally unexpected. He's in my freezer. I'm just worried now because a second one is starting to look and act like the dead one did at first. Blergh.

 

At least the cats are okay. For now.

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He's double-bagged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bwahahahaha.

We have other pets in there, too. Interesting story.

 

 

 

 

:lol: We've been known to have pets in the freezer, too! Aaaack. Be thankful for good labeling in the freezer, right?

 

 

 

At the moment, we only have a baggie full of frozen ticks. Ick.

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This thread gives me the heebie jeebies, too. We have 3 turtles. 4 years old, and they are still growing. We are working toward dinner plate size. The thought of a dead turtle makes me ill. I just hope someone else deals with it, when that day comes.

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Awww. I'm sorry about the turtle.

 

*shudder* We're tortoise-sitting at the moment, and I have a nasty case of the heebie-jeebies now.

 

You're a brave person. If my friend's tortoise bites the dust, it's not going anywhere near my freezer.

He's double-bagged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bwahahahaha.

We have other pets in there, too. Interesting story.

 

 

When I worked as a veterinary assistant, I used to store my microwave lunches under the cat bodies in the freezer that were awaiting cremation. Double bagged, of course :lol: .

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I had a homeschool group over at my house and one of the kids went in to get popsicles-

 

Dialogue (yelled back and forth from the deck of the kitchen and the kitchen):

 

Kid-I don't see them

Me-They're in a freezer bag on the middle shelf

Kid-This one up top?

Me-No, those are frozen mice-look lower.

 

Whole deck full of homeschool moms looking at me like I'm insane, and several boys going "cool!"

 

I sometimes forget that not everyone has pet reptiles!

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He's double-bagged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bwahahahaha.

We have other pets in there, too. Interesting story.

 

 

Yep,

 

Our middle boy likes to attempt necropsies. I do love a good dissection, but I usually can't muster up the emotional energy to post mordem an animal that I've cared about. Ds has been known to misty-eye his way through it, but since he's the budding zoologist/herpetologist/ecologist...he feels it's something he should master.

 

Sigh...never, ever a dull momen around here with all fo these science geeks.

 

Sorry about the turtle. We've lost two of our three, and it's not easy because turtles are just endearing in a strange way.

 

Faith

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I had a homeschool group over at my house and one of the kids went in to get popsicles-

 

Dialogue (yelled back and forth from the deck of the kitchen and the kitchen):

 

Kid-I don't see them

Me-They're in a freezer bag on the middle shelf

Kid-This one up top?

Me-No, those are frozen mice-look lower.

 

Whole deck full of homeschool moms looking at me like I'm insane, and several boys going "cool!"

 

I sometimes forget that not everyone has pet reptiles!

 

I 'liked,' but I meant, 'Yuck.' I don't miss our reptiles and the crickets they ate.

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Yep,

 

Our middle boy likes to attempt necropsies. I do love a good dissection, but I usually can't muster up the emotional energy to post mordem an animal that I've cared about. Ds has been known to misty-eye his way through it, but since he's the budding zoologist/herpetologist/ecologist...he feels it's something he should master.

 

Sigh...never, ever a dull momen around here with all fo these science geeks.

 

Sorry about the turtle. We've lost two of our three, and it's not easy because turtles are just endearing in a strange way.

 

Faith

 

 

I haven't let DD try to dissect a past pet yet. She's also looking at the zoology/herpetology/ecology direction. She's also the kid who wanted to mummify our pet cat when she died-after all, that's what they did in Egypt (she settled for wrapping Tigger up with spices and amulets before burial).

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I had a homeschool group over at my house and one of the kids went in to get popsicles-

 

Dialogue (yelled back and forth from the deck of the kitchen and the kitchen):

 

Kid-I don't see them

Me-They're in a freezer bag on the middle shelf

Kid-This one up top?

Me-No, those are frozen mice-look lower.

 

Whole deck full of homeschool moms looking at me like I'm insane, and several boys going "cool!"

 

I sometimes forget that not everyone has pet reptiles!

 

 

this would be our house :lol: with four snakes we have an assortment of frozen rodents in our chest freezer. At least we got our leos eating freeze dried crickets because well crickets give me the heebie geebies :huh:

 

 

In the future I would not pet sit any reptile unless I had a separate enclosure for it. Any new pet entering a home should be put into quarantine for a min of six months because of the threat of spreading illnesses to your existing pets. If your turtle is showing signs of illness now I would get it to a local vet that sees herps.

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