Turtles seem like the ideal pets for many people since they require less work than cats and dogs and are more receptive and interactive than fish. However, don’t be fooled by their slow movement and calm aura; turtles can be dangerous if not handled appropriately.
Turtles may be slow, but they are not unassuming. Despite having a hard shell that helps protect them from danger, turtles can also defend themselves when they feel threatened. Their shells are rigid enough to provide enough protection, but turtles may also use their sharp beaks to protect themselves.
Additionally, younger turtles carry bacteria on their skin, making people sick. Usually, turtles have salmonella on their bodies and can be spread to humans through contact.
However, the bugging question for most people is, can turtles really bite? And can they cause serious injuries? Let’s try to answer the questions in the following sections.
Do Turtles Bite?
Turtles might seem harmless, but they can cause painful bites on humans when they feel like they are in danger. So if you’re still wondering whether turtles can bite, the answer is yes, turtles will bite anything that seems to threaten their peaceful lifestyles.
However, it’s crucial to understand that some turtle species tend to be more aggressive than others. Owners of tiny turtles should be less concerned since they won’t inflict painful bites. However, giant turtles can inflict bites that cause severe damage.
For instance, snapping turtles are considered the world’s deadliest since they tend to be overaggressive and are renowned for their powerful and painful bites.
However, any turtle can bite you, mainly if you handle them carelessly or make them feel threatened. Although wild turtles are more likely to bite, their domesticated counterparts aren’t quick to bite.
Even though they will still try to protect themselves through bites, especially when they are in unfamiliar territories or handled by unfamiliar people.
Are Turtle Bites Severe?
As mentioned, the severity of the turtle bite will depend on the turtles’ species, size, and whether it’s wild or captive-bred.
Small turtle breeds such as map turtles, sliders, and cooters will only inflict shallow cuts when agitated. They lack the biting force and power to give you deep wounds.
However, the same about said about snapping and softshell turtles. Their massive sizes make them dangerous as they have the power to disintegrate the skin and inflict deep and painful bites.
As their name insinuates, snapping turtles are known to snap when threatened. They usually strike their head forward and try to bite anything within reach. Their powerful beak-like jaws, enormous body, and aggressive disposition allow them to inflict severe and painful bites.
Snapping turtles are said to have enough biting power to cut off a finger! These turtle species are docile and calm when in water and avoid confrontation by swimming away. However, their disposition changes, and they become very combative on land.
Another species of aggressive turtle is the softshells. Despite their soft leathery shell, the turtles grow to lengths of up to 24 inches. Additionally, they boast long necks that extend to the rear, meaning that they can reach the back to bite you.
While large softshell turtles can sink their powerful beaks into your fresh and give painful bites, smaller softshells won’t cause much damage.
Therefore, whether you’re handling a wild or a captive-bred turtle, you must take the necessary precautions to avoid getting painful bites from these reptiles.
Do Turtles Have Teeth?
Now that you understand that these slow-moving, shell-wearing reptiles can injure you with their bites, you might be wondering, how do they bite? Do they have teeth? If not, how do they bite?
Surprisingly, turtles don’t have teeth. They boast powerful and oddly shaped beaks. Some herbivores, such as green sea turtles, have beaks with serrated ridges that look like teeth. These sharp edges help them scrap off algae from rough surfaces and tear seagrasses apart in the ocean.
Omnivores such as Loggerhead turtles boast powerful and tough jaws to help them crush other smaller animals. Others like Leatherback turtles feature a sharp beak that allows turtles to latch onto slippery sea creatures such as jellyfish. Conversely, the snapping turtle boasts robust jaws and a strong, sharp beak that allows it to crush mice, ducks, and other small animals.
Carnivores like the musk turtle feature a hooked beak for piercing, crushing, and killing their prey. Some softshell turtles, such as the Florida softshell turtles, and the spiny softshell turtles, boast soft lips instead of beaks. They often lure the prey into their mouth and swallow them as a whole.
Baby Turtles Have a Single Tooth
Like the other reptiles, female turtles lay eggs. However, since the eggshells have leather-like strength, they are tough to crack open when hatching. For this reason, baby turtles are born with a tooth called the caruncle. The young turtles use this small, sharp tooth extending from the beak to break open the eggshell and pop out.
Once the young turtle is out of the eggshell, the tooth falls off after a few days. After that, their jaws and beak continue to develop, allowing them to eat like adult turtles.
So, don’t be surprised if you see a young turtle coming out of the shell with a protruding tooth!
What to Do Once You Get Bitten By a Turtle
A turtle will not bite you unless you rattle it or handle it roughly. However, if your turtle gets angry and bites you, there are a few things that you should do to ensure that the situation doesn’t get worse. Often, turtle bites are innocuous, but they can be very painful at times.
How you handle a bite will depend on the severity of the bite. If it’s a small bite that isn’t oozing any blood, you should clean with flowing water and soap before doing anything else.
For significant cuts, make sure that you clean the wound with a disinfectant and clean cloth. If there’s blood coming from the bitten area, your priority should be to stop the bleeding. You should take a clean cloth, disinfect it, and apply pressure to the bleeding area.
Once the bleeding stops, apply some antibiotic cream/ointment. If the cream makes you get mild irritation, stop using it and seek medical help. More importantly, you should keep the wound area fully covered with a bandage until it’s fully healed to keep germs off.
Ensure that the bandage stays clean by replacing it regularly. If it gets wet or dirty, you can change it twice a day. Turtle owners who suffer a bite should ensure that the wound is not infected by checking whether there are signs of redness, swelling, pain, change in color, or an increase in the wound’s size. If a bite shows any signs of infection, visit your doctor immediately.
If you suffer a severe bite by turtles such as the snapping turtle, you should not treat it at home. Conversely, if blood won’t stop oozing from the wound, you should seek immediate professional attention.
What If The Turtle Bites You and Doesn’t Release?
Expert recommend that you stay calm if a turtle clamps its jaw on any part of your body, such as a finger, and doesn’t release. If you don’t want the turtle to get more agitated, you need to hold it together.
Please don’t kill the turtle, as it will die with its jaws intact, making it hard to remove them. It would be best if you asked everybody to walk away from the turtle and allow it to calm down.
Although staying put may seem like a counterintuitive approach, it is the most solid thing to do during this situation. However, if the turtle stays for more than two minutes without releasing, you should try to pour some water on its carapace or trying dipping it in water carefully. Once the turtle feels the water sensation, it will relish the vibe and let go of your finger.
What You Shouldn’t Do If Bitten By a Turtle
Once a turtle snaps and gives you a painful bite, there are a few things you should avoid doing. First, you should not get revenge by beating up the turtle. Since the reptile is still agitated, trying to hit it may see you get another painful bite.
Secondly, you should not try to force yourself out of the turtle’s mouth if it bites you and won’t let go. Trying too hard will make the wound bigger and make the turtle more anxious.
Conversely, you should give the turtle some time to cool down once it has bitten you. If you were trying to do something such as cleaning the tank and getting bitten, you shouldn’t continue with the task at hand. The best course of action is to leave and resume the task later. Once you let it rest peacefully for a few hours, you will give it time to relax and release the tension and anxiety, thereby allowing you to finish what you wanted to do.
Lastly, be aware of where you put your hands after a turtle bite. Naturally, turtles carry germs and sometimes bacteria, such as salmonella, on their skin. For this reason, avoid placing your hands near your mouth, greeting other people, or lifting your baby.
To ensure that you don’t transfer the germs or bacteria to yourself or other people, clean your hands thoroughly with clean water and soap after a bite.
Reasons a Turtle May Bite You
Although some turtle species tend to be more aggressive than others, all turtles may try to bite you due to various reasons. These include:
When they perceive you as a threat
Any action that may make your turtle feel agitated, threatened, or in danger can lead to it biting you. These include trying to catch it from behind, hitting it, or hoisting it high up in the air.
Mistaken identity
Often, turtles may mistake your finger for food during feeding. When you’re feeding your shelled-friend with bare hands, they might think that your finger is part of the food and try to savor it.
Stress
When turtles feel stressed, they tend to become more aggressive and more likely to try and bite you. Stress may result from poor living conditions, a new environment, poor feeding, and a change in the person who feeds it.
How Can You Avoid Turtle Bites
Now that we understand why these reptiles end up biting their owners let’s shift our attention to some of the things you can do to avoid these bites.
Handle turtles in the correct way
Turtles tend to feel threatened and rattled when you try to pick them up without letting them see your hands first. If you don’t want your pet turtle to feel threatened, always let it know that you’re about to pick it up with your hands. If you note that it’s retracting into the shell when you try to touch it with your hand, this is a sign that it doesn’t want to be picked up.
Let it familiarize with its new territory before you handle it
Like all the other animals, turtles don’t like being in unfamiliar territory. Therefore, when you bring one home, make sure you give it enough time to get used to its new environment. Trying to handle it too soon can make it feel agitated and end up biting you.
Don’t let a turtle eat from your hand.
Turtles have a habit of mistaking a hand for food. Therefore, avoid using your hands to feed turtles, and if you have to, ensure that you wear tough protective gloves.
Provide appropriate living conditions
Since stress is one of the significant factors that makes turtles aggressive and easily agitated, you should try to minimize anxiety by giving your pet turtle the best living conditions. Ensure that the tank or pond is cleaned regularly and has clean water. Provide your reptile friend with the right food and fresh water. More importantly, please keep it away from noises and ensure that its enclosure is secure.
Wrap Up
Whether you own a turtle, are planning to have one, or live in an area that has several wild turtles, you now know everything about turtle bites. Are turtles dangerous, and can they bite you? The answer is yes. These creatures have solid jaws and beaks and won’t hesitate to use them if they feel threatened.
Like all the other animals, turtles will try to be defensive when facing imminent danger. While their shells act as their first line of defense, they may result in biting when they can. Although it’s uncommon for domestic turtles to bite, it’s not unheard of. When they feel scared or uncomfortable, turtles may end up giving you one of your most painful bites.
