Please Help! (bulge on neck)

[cortezknight]

I was feeding my turtle some raw chicken and a piece didn't go down too well. Might be hard to see in the photo but there is a bulge on the right side of her neck where the chicken is sitting. Will she be able to swallow it down eventually or should I try to help her?

 

[wellington]

WOW, I would put her in a long warm soak, hoping she will drink and be able to get it down. Maybe @Yvonne G or @maggie3fan can help further.

 

[Alexio]

Is this a water turtle? Is it in water/ did you feed it in a tank?

 

[Markw84]

Looks normal to me. Aquatic turtles will cram amazingly large food items in that does this. Sometimes they spit it back up. Sometimes it just goes down as things digest!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Don't worry about it. It's normal. Next time cut the food up a bit smaller.

My daughter had a juvenile soft shell in an aquarium. At the pet store one time, she got the bright idea to buy 10 or 12 minnows for the turtle. When she got home she put all of the fish into the aquarium. The turtle chased them all down and gobbled all of them up. He swam around for the rest of the day with big bumps in his neck and a tail sticking out of his mouth.

 

[Gillian M]

View attachment 182908

I was feeding my turtle some raw chicken and a piece didn't go down too well. Might be hard to see in the photo but there is a bulge on the right side of her neck where the chicken is sitting. Will she be able to swallow it down eventually or should I try to help her?

He looks fine. A soak in warm water might help.

And welcome to the forum!

 

[cortezknight]

Is this a water turtle? Is it in water/ did you feed it in a tank?

Yes, yes, and yes