Turtles have a few key differences and similarities compared to humans, but one of the burning questions that many owners have is whether or not they can fart.
Over the course of today’s guide, we’ll take a look at whether or not turtles fart and a few crucial FAQs about turtles farting.
Do Turtles Fart?
Turtles do fart fart just like any one of us, but there are a few key differences between how they fart and how people do. One thing to consider is that you won’t always hear a turtle farting since they’re physically smaller than us, and that means that their farts are also smaller.
While turtles are smaller and their farts are harder to hear, you’ll certainly notice the smell of your turtle farting.
If you ever smell something noxious coming out of your turtle’s enclosure, then you’ll probably be relieved to hear that it’s most likely a fart.
Here is an clip of turtle farting.
What Causes Turtles to Fart?
Much like human beings, turtles fart so that they can relieve the gas that has built up in their digestive systems.
Like with a human, this is caused by foods that are broken down into gases over the course of the digestive process, much like you would fart after having a heavy meal of beans.
The thing about turtles is that they don’t typically eat as varied as a diet as we do, so when they’re consistently given a diet of food that causes them to fart, they’ll be farting for a long time.
If you notice that the food that you’ve been feeding your turtle has been causing intestinal distress and constant flatulence, then you may wish to vary that diet.
While it may not be unhealthy for your turtle to fart, they are likely experiencing digestive discomfort because of it.
Changing your turtle’s diet will also ensure that you don’t have to deal with the unpleasant experience of smelling your turtle’s farts all the time, so it’s a win-win situation.
Be sure to talk to your vet about which ingredients may be causing your turtle to fart all the time and how you can find foods that will limit digestive problems.
The same foods that typically cause gas in turtles are the ones that cause gas in humans, like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussel sprouts.
Turtles are able to eat a wide range of foods, but some of the common foods that you should avoid include lettuce and celery, not because they cause your turtle to fart but because they don’t provide them with enough nutrition.
There are a few foods that you should avoid for the safety of your turtle, as well. Any foods that contain oxalic acid should be avoided because they make it harder for the system to absorb calcium.
Calcium is essential for turtle bone and shell development, and they are more prone to calcium deficiency than humans because of the large amount of calcium they need to consume to maintain their shells.
Some of the main foods that contain oxalic acid include spinach, beets, rhubarb, and chard. Avoid these foods if possible and make sure that you never feed them to your amphibian friend if you want it to live a long and fulfilling life.
If you’ve determined that your turtle is deficient in calcium, then you can order a liquid calcium supplement that you can put in its food. This is typically tasteless and odorless and it makes it easier for them to eat it without noticing a difference in the meals that you’re giving them.
Where Do Turtles Fart From?
Another similarity between turtles and humans is that they fart from the same place we do: the anus.
Like with humans, the gas passes through their rectum before it reaches the anus to be expelled.
A lot of people have the misconception that turtles poop out of their mouths, and this leads to them thinking that turtles fart out of their mouths.
Much like most other living creatures, turtles only intake food through their mouths and they don’t poop it out of them.
However, this myth has some basis in reality, since Chinese soft-shell tortoises pee out of their mouths, however, this is the only case in which turtles expel waste through their mouths.
Do Turtles Fart from Their Mouths?
This myth probably stems from the Chinese soft-shell tortoise, which pees out of its mouth, as we mentioned earlier.
Turtles do not fart out of their mouths, but some people may mistake their burps for farts, as turtles are pretty prolific burpers.
While turtles may not burp as much as people do, this is largely due to their diet and the fact that they don’t drink the kind of carbonated beverages that are usually responsible for making us burp.
When was the last time you saw your turtle take a sip of beer or soda?
Turtle burps play much the same role that human burps do, expelling trapped gas from the upper parts of the digestive system before it passes through the intestines.
Some turtles are known to make sounds similar to burps when they’re laying their nests, including leatherbacks, but you likely won’t be keeping one of those as a pet.
Do Turtles Breathe Out of Their Butts?
Since many people think that turtles fart or poop out of their mouths, it’s a logical extension to think that turtles may breathe out of their butts.
Unlike that myth, however, the fact that turtles breathe out of their butts is actually true!
Keep in mind there is a caveat that turtles aren’t exactly breathing when they do it out of their butts.
The term is called cloacal respiration since carbon dioxide is expelled and oxygen is taken in through the cloaca.
This happens when turtles hibernate, so the turtle doesn’t need quite as much oxygen as it usually does, so the small amount of oxygen that cloacal respiration creates is more than enough for them.
Also read
Can Turtles Live In Cold Water?
Sources
http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/tderting/anatomyatlas/digestiv.htm
https://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtle-diet
http://www.chelonia.org/articles/nutrientanalysis.htm
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121012-turtles-urine-pee-mouth-science-animals-weird
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know/turtles-breathe-out-their-butt