Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I'm starting to get really curious and my interest is building up about two-headed turtles. I would love it if you could share what you know about them. So far here's what I know:

1) They usually go for $100-$300
2) It's rare that they pass the juvenile stage because of the complications about bones... I heard two-headed snakes are hardier.
3) The other head dies first then it's followed by the other. Regardless of pampering, these turtles die during the at the juvenile stage.

Well... that's all I know

You pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one! lol

2 headed turtles are really not interesting at all, I actually feel it's cruel for an owner to attempt to keep a 2 headed turtle, because like you mentioned, they rarely survive.

Just throw the turtle in the freezer and end it's misery.

Mike
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place has updated better caresheets
Helmz777@aol.com
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Honestly, I find them interesting and would want to own one someday just because they look odd and exotic. But considering that most of them don't pass the juvenile stage, $500 to own one is not worth it. I know a seller who has a siamese that is a year old now and they are selling it for $1500.00. Do Siamese have better chance of survival than two-headeds?

perhaps i'm mistaken, but its my understanding that putting an animal in a freezer insn't a terribly humane way to put them down. Further, though the two headed turtles rarely survive, there is a chance they'll make it. I have a river cooter with only half a face. she has one eye, her mouth doesn't close properly and her head is rather dramatically misshapen. I had problems getting her to eat for a while and i wasn't even certain her digestive tract was properly developed. She has since learned to deal with her disability and i feed her in a separate container from the other turtles and give her about 2 hours to eat as she has difficulty getting the food, but she's healthy, active, and growing.

Once part of a two headed turtle starts dying i can understand finding a humane way to end its life. At a stage where the turtle appears to be healthy, i cant justify killing it.

First of all, I can't even believe anyone would suggest killing an animal just because it isn't "normal." I thought we were past that.

I have a two headed RES and they are doing great! They are almost 5 months old and are great pets. They are very interesting. They have separate personalities and get along with my other turtles. I have never had an usual problem with them. When I first got them, they didn't eat, just like most new turtles when they come home. But now they eat their turtle pellets and some greens. They swim and bask just like any "normal" turtle.

I've known people that have had two headed turtles for years. Yes, some of them do not make it long, but neither do some other turtles. It's a gamble with any living thing on whether it will survive.

I love my two headed turtle Jekyll and Hyde and would not hesitate to get another.

You can see their picture in the gallery.

5 mos you say? Oh, OKAY, whatever... talk to us after 2 years and let's see what happens. I just hope by then I won't see a topic on top with a title, "Mourning for my beloved".

Like I said before, I've known people that have had their two headed turtles for a few years. But believe me, I would never look for support from such a close minded individual such as yourself.

How am I a "close-minded individual" exactly? Just because I consider the possibility that a two-headed turtle that only lived for 5 mos has high risk of dying before it pass its juvenile stage? That doesn't exactly considered close-mindedness but being realistic and learning from other people's experiences.

I suggest you try to think first before you start using words you don't know.

I got one in a "close-out" sale from Herpetofauna years ago. I immediately farmed it out to a woman who is totally obsessive in her care strategy. Both heads fed, but in less than a year, one head became comatose and the other died within two days. I SUSPECT that the bony shell causes constricition and circulatory difficulties to one of the heads. Flexible two-headed snakes survive to adulthood quite well. I recall a pet shop that had a two-headed animal several inches long, so survival is not impossible. I would guess the "Siamese Twin" configuration with two conjoined shells is more likely to survive that two heads and a single shell. I would not advise investing a great deal of money in an animal, however. Note that these turtles are not uncommon and regularly show up in the pet trade. Immediate euthanasia is an absolutist dogma that should be ignored.

Ah... Euthanasia... the power to take away life... but isn't the power over life and the thought that a life is hanging on our very hands what pet owners crave? This power is what pet owners wanted that's why they have pets in the first place; and they cover it up with the word "love" because it's much more appealing than "trying to become God".

Hehehe... sorry. I've been watching too many sci-fi films lately but I know what I said have some truth to it.

though i cant speak for others, i know that i dont crave the power to control the life of another. I'm actually rather offended that you would suggest that

That's a rather offensive and broad generalization about pet ownership.

And it is hardly the power to take life away. That is a rather flippant view of being faced with the decision to euthanize an animal. Is it humane and decent to let an animal that is suffering and dying just lay there in agony until it dies? I think not. Killing an animal because it is two headed and may not live a long life is most certainly not the right thing to do. It does deserve a chance to make its way, but, if an animal is suffering, is going to die, and there is nothing you can do to help it, it is a rather unselfish and loving thing to put it out of it's mysery rather hold on to it as long as you can because YOU cannot bear to part with it. That is seems more selfish and controlling to me than to decide to euthanize a suffering creature.

It also seems to me that having a desire to obtain and own all these poor creatures that have these mutations like being eyeless and two-headed is more of control issue than deciding to euthanize an animal (for the right reasons of course).

I am not trying to be judgemental. If people want to collect these unfortunate freaks that have an uncertain future, that's fine but I can't see condemning someone and calling them controlling for not wanting to let their animal suffer any longer than it necessarily has to and in the same breath collecting these animals who will have a very compromised life just because it is cool to have these oddities (and not consider that playing "God".)

I remember a quote from a heart surgeon who was himself hospitalized for a major heart attack. He had to be defibrillated quite a number of times but he survived. His comment was that he was totally confident in the medical expertise of the physicians caring for him. His only concern was that " I would fall into the hands of one of those "right-to-die" guys." I formerly managed the care of animals with prototype total artificial hearts. While some would decry all medical research on animals, my job was to keep them alive as long as possible to test the performance and biocompatability of the device (one of which was an early prototype for the most successful model in human use). I was faced with a desperately ill calf that had contracted the "Green Death", Pseudomonas aeruginosa (not uncommon in herp infections) which is so named because it colors the urine green. This used to kill off burn victims regularly and is highly resistant to many antibiotics. Euthanasia was clearly indicated for an animal that had a high fever and could barely stand, but a visiting physician casually suggested a cocktail of Ticarcillin and Amikacin, then (1970's) fairly new antibiotics. within a few days the animal was afebrile and eating normally and survived for many more weeks.
Over the years I have had many turtles that had to be coaxed to eat with highly specialized diets or even force fed that suddenly began to pick at more nutritionally complete prepared foods and went on to vigorous growth and health. Others were severely debilitated by infections that recovered after only a few injections of the proper antibiotics. Yes, some animal cannot be saved and reach a point of unresponiveness where further intervention is hopeless, but I prefer to be aggressive in treatment or feeding.

I agree with giving them a chance. I get many turtles in our rescue that are in pretty bad shape. I don't give up on them. I have DBT that had fungal infections, shell rot, had gone septic and even had SCUD. PS. aggressive treatment, tube feeding for 7 months none stop determination and she is now (9 months later in pretty good shape and eating on her own.)

Also a dartfrog developed a flesh eating bacteria that basically ate away the flesh on its upper jaw. I was basically told to put her in the freezer so she would suffer a "painless death" (Which is NOT true freezing is NOT painless).

I pulled her through it and she is even starting to eat again.

Herps can really surprise us. When we think they are all but gone they suddenly bounce back.

My comments were more in reference to my observations of people with 16 and 17 year old dogs that have cancer and are failing and they insisting on trying to treat the animal instead of keeping it comfortable until they are suffering far to much.

I received a batch of dart frogs (tinctorius) with bad nose rubs that went septic. We treated tham by dripping diluted amikacin on the rub and several of them pulled through and went on to breed.

I did the same thing with Baytril. The rot stopped after the first treatment.

Glad your guys improved so much. Mine is now holding his own and hopefully will start feeding a lot heavier than he has thus far. He is maintaining himself but I would love to see him nice and plump again fast!!