Obesity in turtles and tortoises?

[Floomby]

Hello everybody, yesterday I posted this news article, http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...dering-Near-SoCal-Country-Club-275957831.html, in which a snapper was described as obese. To be fair, if my neck looked like that, no one would be begging to see me in a bikini.

However, many Forum members chimed in claiming that the snapper looked completely fine and normal, leading me to get wonder, is obesity even possible in snapping turtles? In tortoises? Are they really inclined to eat endlessly like humans and dogs? Is it bad for them or do they just get bigger?

 

[Yvonne G]

They tend to puff themselves up when handled to make themselves look bigger and more intimidating. That is a perfectly normal-looking snapping turtle.

If you would see that same look in a Russian tortoise or a desert tortoise, then, yes that tortoise is obese and needs a bigger yard hence more exercise...or less food and more exercise.

 

[ascott]

If you would see that same look in a Russian tortoise or a desert tortoise

Baaahhhhaaaa....Yvonne, you made my side hurt with that visual......

oh, and nope---I would find it hard to imagine a tort eating too much, not to a state of fatty like us humans do....lol