Is my turtle dead?

Question
Hi,
I put my pet turtles in the sun for 2 hours and now they are not moving, one turtle has a small piece protruding from the rear. How do I know if they are alive

Answer
Turtles cannot take direct, hot sun for very long without fatally overheating.  If you put them outside in a tank, the glass intensifies the sun and they can overheat very quickly. They really need immediate vet attention, but from my previous correspondence with people from India it seems there aren't reptile vets there, so the best you can do is to put them in a box on newspaper and keep them in a cool (not cold, and don't put them in water) area and give them a few hours to see if they recover.  If they're dead, you'll know it.  If they're still alive, if they seem to be recovering a little, give them a soak in shallow, tepid water (not overly warm) for a few minutes and then remove them from the water.  Continue to give them short soaks every couple of hours, but don't leave them in water unless they've recovered enough to move around fairly well or they'll drown.  If they're very limp and non-responsive right now, they probably won't recover (and the one with something protruding from the cloaca probably is dead).  This is especially true if they're small (under 3") because smaller turtles can't take excessive heat.

For future reference, turtles should never be put out in direct sun unless there is ample, cool shade for them and enough water that it can't overheat.  Never put them out in a glass tank or small container (the water will get too hot).  Turtles can't regulate their body temperature the way we do; they must move between warm and cool areas to keep a temperature balance, and they don't need to be kept hot.  They need an internal body temperature of around 85 degrees and their shells are very efficient at absorbing heat from the sun, so obviously if they're outside in 90 degree sun with no way to cool off they will become too hot very quickly.

I hope your turtles recover well, but it doesn't sound too good.  Please post back and let me know how they're doing.