hi we just recently acquired 2 huge 11 year old red eared turtles. now they're wandering in the backyard with only a small tub of water. but when we put them in they went out at once and hid under the bushes. they've been out of the water for two days now.. is this ok?
2006-09-05 15:09:28 · 4 answers · asked by cocobur 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
They are choosing between habitats- bad and worse.
Turtles prefer water- it is where they feel safe, supported, sheltered, and surrounded by food. You are not offering them real water in that small tub.
The correct size pool for these guys would be about 10 gallons per inch of turtle. Since full-grown Red-ears can run 10-14", we are talking about pools of about 200+ gallons for the two of them to have room to live in comfortably.
How big was the tub you offered them?
The biggest concern is that Red-ears do not hunt or feed on the land, so will slowly starve without an adequate pond.
Experienced keepers often go to kiddie pools, stock tanks, and backyard ponds to get the size they need for the big guys, while a lot of inexperienced keepers dump them off when they get big. It is pretty sad!
2006-09-05 16:19:44 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the turtles needed water, they would find it and climb in. They'll probably use it just for drinking and to cool down depending on the weather. If they get too dry I'm sure they'll find their way there.
2006-09-05 22:40:18 · answer #2 · answered by JenV 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most Aquatic turtles need water all the time.
check out:
http://allturtles.com
they might have some more info for you
2006-09-05 22:24:15 · answer #3 · answered by sr22racing 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
until his ear turns blue
2006-09-05 22:16:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋