What do turtles like to do?
Discussion
We bought a small turtle a few months ago, and he lived happily in his goldfish bowl, until I broke it a few weeks ago whilst cleaning him out. (They do seem to produce a lot of poop these turtles)
So, we bought him a small fish tank to live in, and put a couple of inches of water in it and a rock so he can get out of the water when he wants. He doesn't seem happy though and spends a lot of time literally crawling up the walls, as if he is trying to get out.
Occasionally we drop him in our bigger fish tank, (40 gallons) which he seems to like, and he'll swim around, or just hang out at the bottom. I'm under the impression turtles like water but need to be able to get out and breathe and rest every so often.
If we put a float or shelf for him to climb onto, is it okay to leave him in the big tank permanently, or will be eat other fish? How will we feed him, as he has some special turtle pellets, whereas the fish have some flakes.
Temporary storage while Frankie's tank is 'mucked out':
So, we bought him a small fish tank to live in, and put a couple of inches of water in it and a rock so he can get out of the water when he wants. He doesn't seem happy though and spends a lot of time literally crawling up the walls, as if he is trying to get out.
Occasionally we drop him in our bigger fish tank, (40 gallons) which he seems to like, and he'll swim around, or just hang out at the bottom. I'm under the impression turtles like water but need to be able to get out and breathe and rest every so often.
If we put a float or shelf for him to climb onto, is it okay to leave him in the big tank permanently, or will be eat other fish? How will we feed him, as he has some special turtle pellets, whereas the fish have some flakes.
Temporary storage while Frankie's tank is 'mucked out':
.. eat.. pizza?
Jokes aside, they probably need a bit more mental stimulation, did you read up on it before you got it? A lot of places often suggest extra ways to entertain your <insert pet here>.
Could be a number of things.. too small tank/not enough water/sees his reflection in the glass etc..
Jokes aside, they probably need a bit more mental stimulation, did you read up on it before you got it? A lot of places often suggest extra ways to entertain your <insert pet here>.
Could be a number of things.. too small tank/not enough water/sees his reflection in the glass etc..
Looks like a painted turtle. They like resting out of water, particularly in the sun (or sunlamp if you have one), but spend most of their time farting about submerged
Probably best to ask a vet what the breed is and check up on its preferred activities/habits. Turtles are a whole different ball game to tortoises, despite their physical similarity - they need a hell of a lot more stimulation.
Like riding the great eastern current duuuuude (don't worry, it's not a sea turtle - painteds grow to about 10 inches, not 2 foot
)
Probably best to ask a vet what the breed is and check up on its preferred activities/habits. Turtles are a whole different ball game to tortoises, despite their physical similarity - they need a hell of a lot more stimulation.
Like riding the great eastern current duuuuude (don't worry, it's not a sea turtle - painteds grow to about 10 inches, not 2 foot
) Looks like a red earred terrapin to me - does he have big red stripes on the side of his head?
http://www.britishcheloniagroup.org.uk/caresheets/...
http://www.britishcheloniagroup.org.uk/caresheets/...
XJSJohn said:
know nothing about Turtles, but do know that KH is in Philippines, so imagine that the "pet shop" was probably not quite what you guys are imagining!
Doubt water temp is an issue either
Pet shop as in pay local not to eat cute creature from the river he just caught pet shop?Doubt water temp is an issue either
Du1point8 said:
XJSJohn said:
know nothing about Turtles, but do know that KH is in Philippines, so imagine that the "pet shop" was probably not quite what you guys are imagining!
Doubt water temp is an issue either
Pet shop as in pay local not to eat cute creature from the river he just caught pet shop?Doubt water temp is an issue either
All they could tell us was that he'll eat other fish if they are put in the tank with him, but, he was in with other guppies in the tank in the shop.....
Shinobi said:
Only one? That might be why it's super bored. Everyone likes friends or Ladies!
W did buy him a companion, named Benny ('Frankie and Bennie') but he/she was not right from the start, he never ate, floated lopsided and just sat on the rock all day. Then he died. I believe he was ill when we bought him.Famous Graham said:
Looks like a painted turtle. They like resting out of water, particularly in the sun (or sunlamp if you have one), but spend most of their time farting about submerged
Probably best to ask a vet what the breed is and check up on its preferred activities/habits. Turtles are a whole different ball game to tortoises, despite their physical similarity - they need a hell of a lot more stimulation.
Like riding the great eastern current duuuuude (don't worry, it's not a sea turtle - painteds grow to about 10 inches, not 2 foot)
Hmm, not sure about the red stripes. When I get home next, in two weeks, I reckon we'll get him a bigger tank and a companion or two. Probably best to ask a vet what the breed is and check up on its preferred activities/habits. Turtles are a whole different ball game to tortoises, despite their physical similarity - they need a hell of a lot more stimulation.
Like riding the great eastern current duuuuude (don't worry, it's not a sea turtle - painteds grow to about 10 inches, not 2 foot
) He puts out so much turtle dung I'm not sure how we'll clean his tank, unless he will accept a couple of them janitor fish? And maybe a filter pump too? At the moment we can pick his small 'Maison' up and empty it, but that won't work with a bigger tank.
His belly reminds me of the Nali in the original Unreal game:
My mistake, it's a Slider Turtle
http://petturtle.com/slider_turtles.htm
ETA link
http://petturtle.com/slider_turtles.htm
ETA link
Edited by Famous Graham on Wednesday 13th June 15:56
OP, your turtle needs a friend.
They all have individual characters and will be much mote interesting if you have more than one.
Make sure they have a basking area, and lots of water. It does not have to be very deep, but lots of space is key. They live for along time if looked after correctly but will suffer lots of problems if not looked after:
Water too cold
Water too hot
Basking area too hot
Poor diet
Will all cause problems.
Get a friend for him but make sure its the same species.
They all have individual characters and will be much mote interesting if you have more than one.
Make sure they have a basking area, and lots of water. It does not have to be very deep, but lots of space is key. They live for along time if looked after correctly but will suffer lots of problems if not looked after:
Water too cold
Water too hot
Basking area too hot
Poor diet
Will all cause problems.
Get a friend for him but make sure its the same species.
So he/she could grow that big then??? 
Maybe we'll have to chuck him in the swimming pool?
Yes, we'll definitly get a bigger tank for him then, and some buddies. Maybe a fish tank is not the best place for him, so I'll look about for something maybe flatter and wider.
Temperature should be okay, about a natural 24-28C in the house most days.
Do we need to aerate the water? Looks like the pond above is.
Here is Frankie swimming free in the big fish tank. Go, Frankie, go...
Maybe we'll have to chuck him in the swimming pool?
Yes, we'll definitly get a bigger tank for him then, and some buddies. Maybe a fish tank is not the best place for him, so I'll look about for something maybe flatter and wider.
Temperature should be okay, about a natural 24-28C in the house most days.
Do we need to aerate the water? Looks like the pond above is.
Here is Frankie swimming free in the big fish tank. Go, Frankie, go...
yeah, females can get 12-14 inches accross, males 7-9 inches.
mine live outdoors for about half of the year, their garden residence is 500ish gallons - aerated and filtered. then into the indoor winter tank which has a lamp to let them bask over the winter months.
the climbing on eachother is really funny to watch, i have plenty of fish in the pond with them and have not lost one to a turtle attack yet.
you might find him less messy if you feed him in a different bowl as they are messy eaters they tend to poo soon after eating. you can then put him back in his tank without all the extra dirt.
mine live outdoors for about half of the year, their garden residence is 500ish gallons - aerated and filtered. then into the indoor winter tank which has a lamp to let them bask over the winter months.
the climbing on eachother is really funny to watch, i have plenty of fish in the pond with them and have not lost one to a turtle attack yet.
you might find him less messy if you feed him in a different bowl as they are messy eaters they tend to poo soon after eating. you can then put him back in his tank without all the extra dirt.
Well, time has passed, and we have been informed that 'He' is actually a She, so now she is called Francesca, instead of Frankie, and is also apparently a Red Eared Slider, not a Yellow Bellied.
Last month we built her a new turtle house outside, out of concrete, so she can get some of the suns rays. It has a sort of shelf/ramp so she can get up out of the water, as she likes basking in the sun. I wish we could find her a parter, but the only ones we see around here are tiny new hatchings.
She is now about six inches long and we've been feeding her beetles, bugs, carrots, apple, celery, and kiwi fruit, as well as her regular pellet food. A week or two ago I bought a bag of 'turtle food fish', little guppies or similar, about 20p for the whole bag of live fish. I put them in the tank and she just plays with them.....
I'm not too pleased with the 'cage' I built, but she tries to get out if left to her own devices. And I'm worried about big birds swooping down. I may see about making something less obtrusive sometime.
Last month we built her a new turtle house outside, out of concrete, so she can get some of the suns rays. It has a sort of shelf/ramp so she can get up out of the water, as she likes basking in the sun. I wish we could find her a parter, but the only ones we see around here are tiny new hatchings.
She is now about six inches long and we've been feeding her beetles, bugs, carrots, apple, celery, and kiwi fruit, as well as her regular pellet food. A week or two ago I bought a bag of 'turtle food fish', little guppies or similar, about 20p for the whole bag of live fish. I put them in the tank and she just plays with them.....
I'm not too pleased with the 'cage' I built, but she tries to get out if left to her own devices. And I'm worried about big birds swooping down. I may see about making something less obtrusive sometime.
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