All Turtles Message Board

butterflylady · Level 1 Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

I bought my 9 yr old daughter a red slider - the daughter is now 25 and I just recently became the owner of the turtle Rolling Eyes

She had him ( him/her? ) all these years in a very plain set up of a 10 gallon tank with about 2 - 3" of water and a plain rock - he is not very big, which we found out is due to the size of his home all these years. He is a little bigger then the palm of my hand.

Any ways ------ we have him in a 20 gallon tank with a air filter and all that jazz - the filter is actually a water fall type deco - hence we need to keep the water level about 7" in depth to keep it running.

So we had to get bigger rocks for him to get out of water on.

OK finally - on to my question:

He is "standing" on his back feet every few minutes and opening his mouth as if he is getting fresh air.
I did research this and my info tells me he can go without air for quite awhile, but I am wondering about this new depth of water after all the years he was in shallow levels of water - can a old turtle learn new tricks?

Also he will not climb up his new rocks ! Before his rock was flat and he did not have to really climb per say. Again I ask - can a old turtle get use to all this new stuff/ways?

We only want to keep him safe, healthy & happy and thought we were doing good by all this new stuff Question

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

he will get used to rocks, and the water is fine. he will grow into it. they are adept swimmers and i have one inch babies in 6 inches, so it should be ok

butterflylady · Level 1 Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

Thank You Jdude Smile

I think my biggest concern is that after 16 yrs of him living one way and then we totally changed everything that he would not be able to adapt...

what do I do if he won't climb the rocks and is always in the water?

Fred_and_George · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject:

do you have lights for your turtle? they require a special sort of light, he may not be climbing on his rock to bask if there are no lights shining on it giving it heat. it could be that his water is just warmer than the rock. also, i agree with jdude about him adapting to the new environment. another cause of him not basking could be that he is still adjusting. give him time to de-stress, and let him get used to his surroundings (i.e. dont pick him up every five minutes, or spend a lot of time hovering around the tank, it will just make him nervous.) if you leave him alone for a little while, he might adapt more quickly. just keep feeding him, and you could even do well to add more water for him, to give him more security. hope this helps. be sure to ask as many questions as you need, this site is such a good resource
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I love my turtles! Smile

butterflylady · Level 1 Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

Thanks Fred/George Smile

Yes we have the correct light - he has never liked to crawl up onto a rock - so my daughter always kept the water low and a flat type rock on the bottom - but with the new set up we have this is not possible...

The rock we placed in there he CAN climb - as in it's possible - he just won't.

Today I picked him up and placed him on the rock and splash, within 10 seconds he was back in the water swimming - isn't he going to get tired from swimming non stop?
Question

butterflylady · Level 1 Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

bump ...

anyone - he is still swimming ! 4 days now and I have not seen him stop or sleep ! He is eating.
When I put him on the rocks - spash, within seconds he is back in the water !

I am getting worried he will tire himself out and die. Sad

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

Firstly, If you ever leave Im sure he is sometimes on the rock. But maybe you could take him outside or somthing. He cant get to the water and the sun is much more benefical than the light is.

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

Chances are, if you have a basking light in place over the rock, he will bask when he gets comfortable. Just give him time. The turtle is probably resting and basking when you are not around. He will know when he needs to bask and figure it out. Turtles come out of the shell with most of the instincts they need to survive (like most reptiles).

You can find lots of information at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm . There are many good articles in addition to the slider care sheet.

But please don't go around telling people that "turtles grow to the size of their tanks." While it may have stunted your turtle's growth, it's not the same thing as "if you don't want your turtle to get big don't improve his habitat size." Poor guy should be bigger after 16 years! Glad he can have a better life now. =)

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butterflylady · Level 1 Joined: 09 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

jude and ryan - got it ! Razz

Much Appreciated !!!! Thank You Very Happy