Heart disease in terrapins

The heart is a muscle which collects blood full of oxygen from the lungs and pumps it around the body. It also collects blood full of carbon dioxide from the body and pumps it back to the lungs. This cycle goes on continuously.

In mammals the heart sits in the chest cavity and is divided into four chambers. The right atrium collects blood full of carbon dioxide from the body, sends it down to the right ventricle which then pumps it to the lungs. The left atrium collects blood full of oxygen from the lungs, sends it down to the left ventricle which pumps it around the body. Blood is constantly being pumped from right to left, via the lungs and travels around the body inside a series of tubes of varying diameters; these are known as blood vessels.

The heart of a terrapin differs from the heart of a mammal in several ways. It is specially adapted to suit the life of a reptile. The heart sits between the front legs under the lungs and pseudodiaphragm. Inside the heart there are three chambers, these are the right atrium, left atrium and the ventricle. There is also an extra chamber outside the heart called the sinus venosus which collects blood.

Terrapins can move blood to wherever it is needed in the body. Remember how mammal’s hearts always pump blood round the body from right to left? Terrapins can change the direction of the blood so that it can flow backwards this is called the renal portal system. This is one of the ways that terrapins can survive if they do not have enough oxygen or if they become dehydrated.

Heart disease is not commonly diagnosed in terrapins. Although maintaining good nutrition, temperature and housing can all help further in minimizing the risk of any problems developing.

However, terrapins suffering from a heart condition will be very quiet and may struggle to breathe. There are parasites that kill the red blood cells, but these are not common in terrapins bred in the UK. These parasites cause symptoms that appear similar to heart failure, including swelling of the legs and neck, and gasping for breath. If you see laboured breathing this is an emergency you must take your terrapin to the veterinary practice immediately.

If a terrapin’s housing is too cold it can prevent the heart from beating fast enough to keep the blood pumping to all the vital organs. Having a good balanced diet is also essential to ensure the heart is healthy. Ensure you have a good quality thermometer in the house to ensure the temperature is set correctly.

A terrapin with suspected heart disease needs to visit the veterinary practice. Treatment might involve medication to support the heart, but often these cases are very hard to treat.