Juvenile Green Turtle ‘Hiccup’ Finds New Home at Brevard Zoo After Struggling in Jetty Park

turtle could have some neurologic distress causing a head twitch

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – ‘Hiccup’, a juvenile green turtle came to Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center on October 10, after being found struggling at the surface of the water in Jetty Park.

This turtle has a “twitch”, where they flick their head, and it almost looks like they have hiccups. In mammals, hiccups are caused by a muscle spasm in the diaphragm.

Reptiles don’t have diaphragms so what this turtle is experiencing is not actually a hiccup. Brevard Zoo believes this turtle could have some neurologic distress, causing the head twitch.

Due to the spasm, the turtle is not able to get its head up and take a proper breath, so it is in a shallow kiddy pool for the time being.

The Brevard Zoo brought this turtle for a CT at the Rockledge Regional Medical Center and sent out samples from Hiccup to test for toxins. They do not have either of these reports back yet.

Upon intake, this turtle had no interest in eating but the turtle has started to take its first bites.

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