One of our giant turtles from Malaysia (Orlitia borneensis) is already back in her facility perfectly recovered after being operated to extract some stones she had ingested. Four turtles of this species live in the enclosure, which is in danger of extinction and is classified as a species threatened by IUCN.
The zookeepers detected that this specimen had buoyancy problems, as it sank on one side more than the other, unusual in this species that is also characterized by spending a lot of time in the water.
The turtle was taken to the Marina Baixa Veterinary Hospital, where veterinarian José Rial was the responsible of the examination and the operation. The radiography detected the presence of strange things in the stomach, which by its shape and size made the veterinarians suspect that it was stones that generated buoyancy problems for the animal.
In total, about 25 stones weighing between one and three grams were extracted. The zookeepers believe that the intake of stones may be due to the fact that there are some turtles that do it to supply minerals to their organism or that this specimen has acquired the habit of eating objects that do not belong to their usual diet. In fact, it is the first time it happens.