My family has a red eared slider turtle that we have had for about 9 or 10 years now. He was just big enough to be allowed to buy when we got him. Over the years, we have become very attached to him and he has to us as well but recently he has started actting weird. He just constantly bangs himself against his tank and digs in his gravel. That's all he does now. It's like he is very aggravated at something but we do not know what. We take him out to run around and clean his tank etc. so he is very well taken care of. With the recent pet food recalls we have been wondering if that may have something to do with it. We give him Wardley Reptile Sticks. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate them very much!
2007-04-03 05:19:34 · 8 answers · asked by evilmunkees 3 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Thanks for trying to help. I am not quite sure what size the tank it but I do know he has plenty of room in it. We were advised by our vet when we first got him to take him out of the water to let him run because it is good for him and back in July when he had his check up it came back with good results. We are also very sure it is a HIM. Thanks for all the help!
2007-04-03 05:44:44 · update #1
the tank size is a possabilaty but it could also be diet, try giving it live fish, it will give it some good nutrients, and the fun, exercise, and chalange of hunting, my RES love nothing more than to chase, catch, and eat fish.
2007-04-03 10:19:55 · answer #1 · answered by Han Solo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Red Slider Turtle Behavior
2016-10-30 06:44:32 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he needs a larger tank. What size is he in right now? I would suggest a minimum of 65gals, preferably 90gallons. My 5 year old RES is in a pond during summer and a horse trough in my house in winter. RES need a LOT of room. Letting them out to run around can stress them a lot, even though it may not show. They are water turts and get stressed when they cant get to water. Although if you've been doing this forever, it wouldn't be the main problem.
Try feeding live insects. FlukerFarms.com has great deals on feeder insects. You can get 250 crickets for 5$ and keep them in a 10gal tank outside so you dont have to smell them. Just take a look at the site for good feeding alternatives.
I feed my turtles the pellets, along with dried krill, baby shrimp, goldfish(chopped for the Western painted, live for the RES), mealworms(live), crickets(live), earthworms(live). With a varied diet, I only feed turtle pellets once a week or so to ensure his diet is balanced.
Try to get a lager enclousure for him. If you need any help at all just email me. I love turtles and I have a lot of experiance with them.
2007-04-03 05:34:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
He wants to move- find a female, find a bigger pond, etc. This is very common at a certain stage of life.
The tank size itself may be too small for it- an adult turtle should be in a pretty big tank- 100 gallons would be a bit snug. Many experts feel that adult Red-ears should only be kept in large outdoor ponds to help with this wandering phase.
The food is not a big problem, but not super healthy for it. ReptoMin and Mazuri foods are better quality and even they should only form part of the diet.
Try http://www.redearslider.com and http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for more ideas!
Good luck!
2007-04-03 05:43:34 · answer #4 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your turtle may not be a him, but a her? The digging and banging into the tank is normal for a female Slider. Even without a male companion, she will attempt to dig and lay eggs.
But even if it is a male, you may want a larger tank for your turtle. If it's just one turtle, you'd want something at least in the realm of a 50 gallon long tank. It may be that your turtle is feeling crowded.
2007-04-03 05:32:15 · answer #5 · answered by brandoski888 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you do no longer state the size of tank the turtles are stored in. necessary for his or her shell and well being for the tank to be spacious, it incredibly is in accordance to turtle length. If turtles shell are 4"-5" long, the minimum length tank is a 29 gallon. Filtered water is likewise a could desire to. Water turtles love Anacharis, it incredibly is contemporary in any puppy keep, additionally love earthworms, crickets, wax worms and great worms. be careful approximately feeding commercially available stay fish through retaining a quarantine tank basically for them. Feed the right nutrition fortified diets available.
2016-12-08 17:08:57 · answer #6 · answered by borucki 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A newer, smaller turtle was recently added to keep my older turtle (20 y/o) company. They're both females. Surprisingly, the smaller turtle is circling around the big one, "confronting" her, and the big one shrinks in her head and swims away. What's going on?! David and Goliath?!
2015-07-25 14:19:07 · answer #7 · answered by Michele 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Possibly the tank,but try a new diet and see if that works.
2007-04-03 10:51:13 · answer #8 · answered by Conservation kind of guy! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋