All Turtles Message Board

I-LOVE-TURTLES · Level 3 Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 262 Location: My House

water all the time they can be out of water for hours at a time!! Rolling Eyes

Crazy huh!! We went to a aquatic turtle,snake, etc... hospital and the vet said RES's are SEMI aquatic! too much water is bad for them!! just FYI!!

Kayti

Jdude101 · Level 3 Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 191 Location: Georgia

are you just telling us, or do you keep yours in water all the time?

I-LOVE-TURTLES · Level 3 Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 262 Location: My House

My dad is building a basking attachment on the top... it is going the whole length of the tank, with a little door so they stay in there for as long as they are supposed to. They can be OUT of water for 10+ hours, the vet said.

Jdude101 · Level 3 Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 191 Location: Georgia

just so you know, you probably shouldnt put a door and keep them up there, theyll go up when they want to id assume

I-LOVE-TURTLES · Level 3 Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 262 Location: My House

Well, the vet told me that the only reason they go into the water is to eat, and escape any danger that they sense. He also told me to make sure they have plenty of drying out time (3 or 4 hours at a time) that they don't have any access to water.

All this was very new to me. I learned a lot that day.

Jdude101 · Level 3 Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 191 Location: Georgia

wow, my turtles just bask for a while, i mean im not sure how long, cuz wen i walk in they run, but i dont hasve res so maybe its different. mine seem to be in the water most of the time though

I-LOVE-TURTLES · Level 3 Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 262 Location: My House

Yeah RES's and YBS's are not supposted to be water more than 65-75% of the day. The water puts bacteria into the shell and sun pulls it out of the shell! Rolling Eyes

ryanandsuzyro · Level 3 Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 207

Hence: big enough basking platform and nice light.

I-LOVE-TURTLES · Level 3 Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 262 Location: My House

no even a basking rock is not enough

deesygirl · Moderator Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 1226

This is why I wish everyone would research an animals needs before they buy it.

Yes turtles need to bask daily. A platform and light are manditory items. Turtles know when they need to bask and when they need to hydrate. By forcing a turtle to stay out of the water you can also cause them to dehyrate and die. The basking area needs to be easily accessable and the turtle will use it, when and how it needs to.

At the top of this page are green button that contain a wealth of information. You can also go to the web site at the bottom of my message.
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http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

I-LOVE-TURTLES · Level 3 Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 262 Location: My House

Yes. I didn't necessarily agree with the doctor that I should "keep" them out (of course, I am not a vet, so what do I know??), but I understand what he was saying about them being out of water for a while at a time. That is why there will be a ramp to the whole basking area