You may not know this, but our sea turtles get bath time just like us!

It is common for sea turtles in the wild to have algae on their shells. While they are in the wild, they rely on fish to help clean their shells and scratching themselves against rocks or reefs.

FWC rescuing a loggerhead with cleaner fish stuck to the underside (circled in red)

But while the turtles are patients at the hospital, they do not have these fish, they have us instead. So we use brushes to clean their shells regularly.

The most important part is to clean them when they first arrive. When they are sick, they typically float. Which means more algae and barnacle growth than normal.

Curly on Intake

Curly on Release