Turtles are natural swimmers. When they get to the water for the first time, you can see them start adapting to the medium with those flippers.

When you bring a turtle home for the first time, you might see them floating in the tank or enclosure instead of swimming. This behavior can even cause them to be in an upside-down position, which is concerning if you don’t know what is happening.

Floating is a natural behavior for turtles.

There can be some health issues that also create this behavior. When you know the signs and symptoms of distress or disease, it’ll be easier to tell if a turtle is floating for environmental awareness or because of a health concern.

Why Is My Turtle Floating?

Every turtle does some floating, especially when in a new tank or enclosure. This behavior helps them adjust to their new habitat. When turtles float in an established space, it can indicate a respiratory illness, dietary problems, disease development, or high levels of intestinal gas.

Each problem that can cause turtles to float has specific signs and symptoms to see. When you can recognize these issues, it’ll be easier to develop a treatment plan to stop the floating behavior.

If your turtle is floating after more than a couple of weeks in a new enclosure, here are the common issues that cause this behavior.

1. Gas Buildup Problems

When turtles eat foods that create bloating and gas in the intestinal tract, it can cause them to start floating because of the pressure imbalance this issue causes.

The primary reasons for gas buildup problems are poor feeding timing, an improper diet, or an incorrect feeding style.

Some medications can change how a turtle’s digestive system works. If your veterinarian provides a specific product to treat a condition, the digestion process could be altered to create gas problems.

Once a turtle’s buoyancy gets disrupted, the bloated stomach triggers constant floating behaviors until the issue gets resolved.

2. Dietary Mismanagement

Turtles are intelligent animals, but they aren’t super picky when it comes to food. If something looks edible, they’re going to eat it.

Those choices can sometimes lead to gastrointestinal discomfort, leading to swelling issues in the stomach.

If you provide a strict diet that delivers proven nutritional values without triggering gas, it’ll be easier for the turtle to digest their daily meal. That outcome should result in fewer floating behaviors as time passes.

3. New Foods

Most turtles prefer to eat a few specific foods. They like to get into a routine. When you introduce something new into that schedule can cause them to eat more than they should – or nothing at all.

Both behaviors can disrupt their gastrointestinal schedules, creating problems with bloating that lead to floating.

Most turtles tend to nibble on their food. They like to save something for when they get hungry later. If you see items in the tank or enclosure that remain untouched after several hours, you can be confident that the product is unliked.

Remove it to prevent floating.

4. Respiratory Diseases

Although turtles need to come to the surface to breathe, they can also stay underwater for a long time. If there are problems breathing, the turtle might decide to float instead because that makes breathing easier for them.

Several factors can trigger or enhance the symptoms of respiratory disease in turtles. Here’s a closer look.

Respiratory Disease Factor	Resolution to This Respiratory Disease Factor
Water Temperatures	A human’s immune system can become less effective when exposed to prolonged cold temperatures. The same issue occurs with turtles in cold water. They struggle to thrive when it’s below 70°F. You’ll want to keep the temps between 70°F and 80°F to prevent health issues in this category.
Dietary Problems	Turtles that don’t get the nutrients they require can develop respiratory diseases. This issue is typically caused by a lack of vitamin A in the diet. Add sweet potatoes, leafy vegetables, and carrots to help them have a more robust immune system response.
No Basking Area	Turtles need basking areas in their tanks and enclosures to stay healthy. Having a place to get warm helps to trigger a metabolism response. The space should be above the water’s surface, consistently dry, and exposed to a UVA/UVB light source.
Poor Sanitation	Turtles can develop respiratory diseases when they live in unhygienic environments. They’re naturally messy, polluting the water faster than most aquatic creatures, which means a regular cleaning schedule is necessary. If polluted water gets into the lungs, they’ll become lethargic and prefer to float.

If it gets cold in the winter where you live, it is essential for a turtle to have access to a full-spectrum heat lamp. This product increases the temperature while providing the necessary UVA and UVB exposure to prevent floating behaviors.

Baby turtles also benefit from having UV lights.

I use the Lucky Herp UVA/UVB CFL light at home for my turtles. Although its energy use is higher than an LED lamp, the difference isn’t that much. It’s also more affordable since compact fluorescent technology is well established. It uses anE26 socket for fixtures, which is standard in the United States.

This light delivers 30% UVA and 10% UVB output to ensure the basking area receives the support it needs.

5. Disease Development

Some turtles start floating sideways in their tanks when they are dealing with a more severe health condition. The most common cause of this behavior is pneumonia. It can also be caused if gas gets trapped in a specific space in the gastrointestinal tract to create an imbalance.

Pneumonia can be viral or bacterial. It tends to happen more often when the water temperature is below 70°F, but it can also occur when the tank or enclosure is being cleaned as needed.

The easiest way to keep the water clear of most impurities is to use a low-level waterfall filter built for the tank size used. Since I keep mine in a 100-gallon enclosure, I use the Marineland Magniflow Canister filter.

This product offers three-stage filtration to deliver a better result than the standard single-stage design. It works with saltwater or freshwater options, using a valve block for quick release whenever you need to shut down the waterfall flow. Once you start the self-prime process, you’ll find that maintaining clean waters has never been so easy.

Why Do Turtles Float on Their Backs?

Turtles can be fascinating creatures to watch. When they think no one is around, you can see them making some incredible moves in their enclosure.

My turtle likes to float upside-down when no one is watching. When you turn the light on or he senses your presence in the room, he instantly flips back to the regular orientation. There is even a look I get that says, “You didn’t see anything.”

The most common reason for a turtle to float upside-down is that it fell when getting into the water. One slip from the basking spot is all it takes.

Some turtles are great at fixing their orientation, while others just shrug their figurative shoulders and seem to say, “Oh well.”

When you haven’t seen your turtle float upside-down, it can be concerning since this result also occurs when they pass away.

It’s important to remember that when turtles die, they sink to the bottom of the tank. It takes about a day or two for the internal gases to accumulate to the point where floating occurs. That’s when the rotting begins, and you’ll start to smell everything.

It is essential to remove a turtle that passed away from the enclosure or tank to protect the other animals.

Steps to Take If Your Turtle Starts to Float

Some turtles like to float. They’ll freak you out because they look dead, but then they swim away like nothing was wrong.

Others never float, which means you know something is wrong when observing this behavior.

If something looks out of the ordinary for your turtle’s health, here are the steps you can take to correct the situation.

1. Push the turtle a little inside the water. Does it start swimming away, or does it look like a fishing float that bobs out of the water? If your buddy gives you a dirty look before going to the furthest corner in the enclosure away from you, things are probably good. If not, proceed to the next step.
2. Check the water temperature. If it is below 70°F, make the appropriate adjustments to restore the temps to where turtles prefer them.
3. Review the pH, chemical, and gas levels of the tank’s water to ensure it is supportive for your turtle. It should have a pH between 6.0 to 8.0, zero chlorine or ammonia, nitrite levels of 0.5 ppm or less, and nitrates at 40 ppm or less. Correct any situation you find outside of these numbers.
4. Look for physical symptoms around the nose and mouth. Turtles often secrete mucus or foam when they aren’t feeling well.
5. Observe the turtle’s eyes to see if they are bulging, swollen, or inflamed. You might see other behaviors, such as gasping for air.

When you don’t see any issues with your tank or water, it might be time to speak with an experienced veterinarian to see what the problem could be.

After you’ve made corrections to the environment, you should see improvements within 48 hours. If you don’t experience this outcome or the symptoms appear to be worse, see your vet right away.

Tap Water Needs to Be Made Safe for Turtles

Tap water typically uses chlorine to kill harmful agents in the fluid. This chemical might offer disinfecting qualities that help you, but it won’t provide benefits to turtles.

Chlorine must be removed from any tap water before getting added to a turtle’s habitat.

Tap water might contain ammonia, fluoride, and other items that aren’t part of a turtle’s natural environment. These items must also be removed.

Water conditioning products can do everything from removing chemicals to detoxifying heavy metals when used appropriately.

I keep a healthy stock of MICROBE-LIFT Extreme Water Conditioner at home because I have a hard supply. It takes the copper away while removing chloramine. It will also address ammonia and chlorine, instantly aging the new water when setting up a tank or making water changes.

It also helps to use this product for a water change when adding new turtles to the environment.

You’ll find this product does a great job of stabilizing your pH while creating a safer foundation for your turtles to enjoy.

How to Check to See If My Turtle Has Floating Problems

The easiest way to check if a turtle has a health issue is to push the animal while it is under the water. If it wobbles right away, there could be a floating problem to correct. When it swims underneath the water before surfacing, there isn’t anything to worry about with this behavior.

Seeing a turtle float for the first time can be quite unnerving. It makes you wonder if you’ve put in all that time and effort for nothing.

Some turtles float around for fun. You’ll notice this behavior right away because they will start swimming without any prodding.

If this behavior is unusual, look for signs of gastrointestinal distress. Bloating is the most common cause of floating for turtles. If everything seems fine, check for symptoms of a respiratory infection.

You’ll see swelling around the eyes, nose, or mouth, with foaming or mucus in that area. Don’t assume that things will clear up by themselves. Start cleaning the tank daily, filtering the water regularly (if not already), and providing medication as instructed.

When something seems out of the ordinary, pay attention. It could save your turtle’s life.