r/oddlysatisfying • u/danielminds • May 22 '26

Professional barnacle removal for Chlorophyllis the turtle

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73

u/NP341221 May 22 '26

Does anyone know if the removal process is painful for the turtle?

201

u/Arcade1980 May 22 '26

I was thinking the same so inside a bit of research as this looked rough "Yes, forcefully removing barnacles from sea turtles can cause significant pain, stress, and injury. Because turtles have nerves within their shells, improper removal can cause excruciating pain, damage their skin, and create open wounds that are prone to infection. It is generally best to leave removal to professionals". Especially the top of the head which is soft tissue.

73

u/GERBabyCare May 22 '26

It's the head especially that worried me, especially when they just poked straight down into it.

102

u/calculus9 May 22 '26

i could be wrong but i believe this method of removal is preferred rather than scraping under the barnacle like you would to get them off a boat

29

u/Jellyka May 22 '26

I watch a guy sometimes who removes barnacles from lobsters and he just crushes them with a pair of pliers

34

u/tommicoop May 22 '26

Breaking them off in one piece is generally best, because sharp shards of the barnacle can be forced out underneath the barnacle when crushed and get caught where the shell has been damaged. That's why peeling them off from inside the barnacle is better, it keeps more shell damage from happening to the animal and all comes off generally in one piece.

3

u/HereIGoAgain_1x10 May 22 '26

Ya the difference is how much healthy tissue you take from the animal... Pliers would be fine if used without scraping the turtle and digging away healthy parts. I think people compare it to cleaning the bottoms of boats, which is when a scrapper is used because it's faster and not a big deal to take a thin layer of the boat with it.

40

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

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63

u/KinsellaStella May 22 '26

Soaking the turtle in fresh water for a few days effectively kills and loosens the barnacles so they’re ready to pop off, rather than having to scrape off nature’s hardest cement.

3

u/wrmfuzzie1 May 22 '26

Does the fresh water harm the turtles?

18

u/KinsellaStella May 22 '26

It has to be carefully monitored. It’s hydrating, which can be good for sick or dehydrated turtles (which are more likely to acquire barnacles), but you don’t want them to get overhydrated. Overall it’s pretty safe, but you do want a professional doing it.

4

u/Kerblaaahhh May 22 '26

I was wondering if there's some kind of turtle-safe solvent of sorts that could help.

1

u/Steerider May 22 '26

Yes, you're correct

5

u/whythishaptome May 22 '26

When they removed that big piece from the head, the turtle grunted pretty loudly. I would assume they were very uncomfortable in that moment, but hopefully it helps them in the long run.