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What to do if my turtle is mouth breathing, has nose bubbles, won't eat?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Reptile | Aquatic Turtle | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 9 months old

For the last few days, I have noticed that he was doing some mouth breathing (he had his mouth slightly open rather than having it closed.) I also noticed a few bubbles coming from his nose. Other than those two symptoms, his behavior and appearance was normal until his dinnertime tonight. I put him in his feeding tub and sprinkled in the food. Kai opened his mouth wide and rubbed/swatted his face with his foot. He repeated the gesture and did not eat. What do we need to do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM

Veterinarian

Published on October 19th, 2018

I am sorry that Kai isn't feeling well. From what you are describing, he may have a respiratory infection - this could be isolated to his upper respiratory system (nose and trachea/windpipe) or it could also be involving the lower respiratory system as well (lungs, such as pneumonia). I would recommend taking Kai to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can perform an examination, and may recommend taking radiographs (x-rays) to see what his lungs look like. They may also collect some of the fluid to evaluate for bacterial populations to see if there is an infection. They can then prescribe treatments depending on what they find - these may include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. Please do not give Kai any human medications at home, as many of these can be harmful for our scaly friends.
I hope that this gives you a place to start, and that Kai feels better very soon.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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