How do you make a turtle stop trying to escape?

Question

My new painted turtle is viciously trying to escape. How can I make it stop?

This turtle was born in captivity. I bought it from a pet shop.

This turtle was born in captivity. I bought it from a pet shop.

This turtle is she. I have all of the equipment. Her basking platform may be a little small. It floats but when she gets on it, the platform sinks a little bit (about an inch).

Answer 1

Why is he trying to escape? Is he old enough to seek a mate? Is there something missing in his set up? You have provided him with plenty of room to bask? You might consider getting him a companion, perhaps a "shiela" as the croc hunter would have advised.

Answer 2

Sounds like it needs a better basking spot--one that sinks doesn't allow the turtle to get all the way out of the water or ever stop swimming. The last thing you need to do is get another turtle.

Answer 3

He may be looking for a mate, he may not have a desirable tank, or he may be hungry. Same way with most pets, but I had a box turtle once that would acually follow you around. But then again that was a tortoise thats been in the family for quite a long time.

Answer 4

Mostly by using a good tank. A good tank is big (at least 10 gallons per inch of turtle), warm (75-80F), and clean. A good tank is also not made of glass because seeing through the stuff makes them think they can go through it.

Try http://wwww.austinsturtlepage.com for other ideas.

Answer 5

Hire a DMV employee to chase the turtle down.

Answer 6

You can't. Turtles will do anything they can to get back to their home. It's cruel to keep them as pets

Answer 7

You can't make him stop, all you can do is make sure he can't. Turtles are like cats... you can't make them do anything.