Would a baby turtle be okay if it dropped on the floor?

Answer 1

It is extremely ill-advised that you drop any turtle intentionally, however, baby turtles are often underestimated for their quick speed even outside of their aquarium habitat, and without careful watching will not hesitate to leap out of your hands. Survivability and whether the turtle sustains any kind of injury depends on the size of the baby turtle, the healthiness of the turtle's carapace and plastron, and the height at which it was dropped. The smaller and more infant-sized the turtle is, the higher the chance of damage to the turtle since babies are still developing their immature carapaces. The carapace is the outer top shell of the turtle, and if your baby turtle is in excellent health from clean water and being exposed daily to UV light and heat, than chances are that the turtle's carapace shell and it's lower body plastron would be hardy enough to survive even a drop to concrete falling at heights of 4 or 5 feet. Fortunately, turtles are instinctively smart enough to withdraw their head, arms, and legs into their shell as they fall from the air, minimizing damage to the turtle's other body parts and allowing their shell to absorb most of the impact. Your baby turtle will most likely be in shock if it lands on any kind hard surface, so immediately return him to the tank and place him on top a dry area, preferably under the light where the turtle can bask. Don't splash, but drip small beads of water over his head and allow the turtle to regain it's senses. Although it should be obvious, keep in mind that any kind of fall from extreme heights exponentially puts the little turtle in danger.