Do you own a pet shop and, most of the time, faced the same question from buyers, “what is the lifespan of a turtle?” Are you planning to pick a pet for yourself based on the pet’s lifespan? Have you recently bought a pet turtle home and are wondering what it’s lifespan would be?
Turtle rescuers are frequently posed with saving the life of a turtle and conserving the baby eggs. With such being a situation, it is vital to understand a turtle’s lifespan and various threats that the species face.
The lifespan of any living being is difficult to gauge; one can provide a probable or approximate timeline though. According to the researchers, turtles can survive and live up to serve a whole generation or a person lifespan with proper care and attention.
Turtle lifespan facts | how long does a turtle live :
- General overview and statistics prove that turtles can live up to 100 years in the wild.
- According to researchers, a few years ago, turtles as pets survived close to 4- 6 years.
- Growing awareness and efforts placed by the turtle activists in general public saw an increase in a pet turtle’s lifespan, is recorded as high and close to 40 years.
- Turtles as pets should be provided with good lighting and diet to increase their lifespan.
- Every sixth turtle in the wild is endangered and loses its life due to human activities near the sea.
What are the factors that influence the lifespan of a turtle?
Any living being’s lifespan can be boosted if provided with proper living conditions and food. These two factors play a significant role in the survival of a turtle.
Temperature:
Turtles require an equal amount of warmth and cold. They won’t survive in a standard room, with average temperatures like the humans or other pet animals. Turtles require sunlight with UV rays, especially for their shell; these rays help turtles build strength. Without adequate light, the turtle would suffer from bone diseases such as a softshell. This gradually results in reducing the life span of your pet.
Diet:
Providing a proper diet plays a vital role in the turtle’s growth into an adult or enhancing the life span. Turtles owners prefer aquatic food and various turtle food available in the market and makes it easy to maintain these aquatic creatures. But this doesn’t mean you stick to giving processed food to turtles.
You can always feed leafy vegetables such as lettuce or parsley, but make sure they are fresh and leaves are not dried. Fruits such as apple or frozen shrimp can be given as an occasional treat to the turtles. This diet would help to maintain the turtle physically healthy and increase its lifespan.
Be aware of symptoms:
As a pet owner, you should be aware of common health issues that turtles face. Look for symptoms and giving the right medication should help in keeping the turtle healthy. A few of the common health issues that the turtle might encounter are:
Vitamin deficiency, due to which the turtles can suffer from swollen eyes, pus formation around the eye.
Breathing issues can be identified if the turtle has a running nose, unable to breathe, and lazy behavior.
Shell infection is the most common one that pet owners should look out for. This is mostly due to bacterial infection, and this can also lead to stomach ulcers.
Keeping an eye for these symptoms would help take care of your pet, keep up their health, and increase their lifespan.
Apart from the above reasons stated, here are a few scientific statistics that explain why turtles live so long.
Know the reason why turtles live long?
God’s creation is mysterious, and definitely, we can’t prove or provide substantial proof for the lifespan of his creation. According to scientists, turtles live long because of their slow functioning metabolism.
Turtles are known for their slow movement and reaction to each action, but is it genetic, or is there a problem in their physiology?
Upon observing the birds and other pet animals in comparison with turtles, it is found that the turtle’s metabolism is slow, which helps extend the turtle’s life span. Whereas other pet animals’ bodies function at an equal pace as close to humans, this makes the lifespan short for them.
Researchers also noticed that a turtle could survive close to five hours without oxygen in the water. This lack of oxygen doesn’t affect the organs of the turtle. The genes protect the organ and help turtles to stay healthy and live longer.
Common FAQ’s:
- What is the survival rate of a sea turtle?
Turtles in the wild have to face more threats than those taken care of by the owners. Sea turtles have to face harsh weather conditions and human activities that are harmful to their lifespan. If you go by a record, close to a thousand turtles die in a year and cannot make it to adulthood.
- Is there a difference between the lifespan of a turtle and tortoise?
Yes, there is a difference between a turtle and tortoise lifespan. Turtles have a lighter shell, and they are omnivores, which makes their life span shorter. On the other hand, the tortoise is a herbivore, and its shell is harder than a turtle, which helps increase the lifespan.
When compared in numbers, we can find close to 20-60 years of difference in the turtles’ lifespan capacity and tortoise.
- What to feed turtles to increase their lifespan?
As stated earlier, turtles are omnivore’s aquatic species, but they love eating jellyfish in general. So, feeding a balanced diet of aquatic food and green leafy vegetables should be ideal for increasing the lifespan of your pet.
Final words:
Turtles make a wonderful pet; with proper care and attention, they can turn into lifelong companions. It is important to note here that turtles, although are easy to maintain, are cranky. They can be tamed to a certain level, but it is advised to keep the children away from the pet and keep the interaction minimal.
Do share your tips to increase the lifespan of the turtles here.
Enjoy the lifelong companionship!!!
