Bubble Butt, our first and longest permanent resident, will be celebrating his 21 year anniversary at The Turtle Hospital! Bubble Butt was rescued on March 25th 1989 after being struck by a boat off of Long Key. His shell was deformed by the strike leaving a large “bubble” on his “butt.” This traumatic encounter with a boat also left him floating permanently. At the time, experts could not explain why he was unable to dive and he became the first documented case of a turtle suffering from “Bubble Butt Syndrome,” named after the one and only Bubble Butt.

To make Bubble Butts stay at the hospital comfortable, staff has fitted him with a weight on the rear end of his shell to counteract his buoyancy. With this weight he can dive to the bottom of his 100,000 gallon saltwater swimming pool and sleep under rocky ledges. Bubble Butt lives a happy and healthy life with us. Although the weight helps him enjoy life at The Turtle Hospital, it is not a permanent solution to the problem.

As one of our first rescued sea turtles at the hospital, Bubble Butt quickly became famous. Having a name like “Bubble Butt” also helps.Throughout his 21 years at our facility Bubble Butt is always the first sea turtle to greet guests! Through his injury and unique name, educational staff is able to teach guests about the importance of safe boating. Although the Turtle Hospital typically admits several sea turtles afflicted with Bubble Butt syndrome each year, our Bubble Butt knows he will always be number one!

You can “adopt” Bubble Butt by following this link:  http://turtlehospitalstore.com/bubble-butt.html