Prolaps represents a turning inside out and outside of the turtle’s body of their cloaca in females or penises in males and it occasionally happens to the majority of these animals. The prolapses are not dangerous nor painful for the turtle.

The course of this process is not known until now, but some possible causes may be excessive sexual contacts, alimentation, parasites or infection, stress, a condition, obstructions of the intestines or weakness of the cloacal muscles. Apparently there are no means of preventing prolaps.

For a turtle which is in good health, a prolaps once in a while is perfectly normal. In case these processes have increased frequency and are disturbing for you and your pet, talk to the pet doctor about a purse string suture.

In case you see the process itself, try not to let anything that is not hygienic get in contact with the cloaca or penis of your turtle. In case these parts don’t retreat, put the turtle in clean water, to keep them moist. The water needs to be warm. Try to create waves of small intensity in the water container, in order to cause your turtle to move.

Because the tortoises don’t recognize the prolapsed parts to belong to their body, you must keep them under supervision for as long as the problem persists. Other aquatic tortoises may bite the extended parts which can be disastrous.

The solution is represented by purse string suture which prevents an excessive opening of the cloaca, without affecting the fecals.

In complicated cases, the veterinarian will not only place a suture around the intestine, but also performs a surgery to eliminate the dead extension using anesthetic. The prognosis is not very favorable. Be careful and learn from as many sources as possible about more information that will help you with your turtle.