Red-eared slider turtle banging shell on glass?

Question

Why is he banging his shell on the glass? He only does it on the one corner of the tank, and there are scratch marks on the glass from his claws.

Answer 1

Yep he needs a bigger tank. His way of saying...hey mom whatch'r problem here..just jokin

Answer 2

No, this behavior doesn't mean the tank is too small. We have had this breed of turtle for YEARS. Since I was a kid, actually. We have two now who are 19 years old. They have very large tanks and still go through this behavior now and again. I have seen them exhibit this behavior in a turtle sanctuary pond (where we released another that we had) that is huge...so the size of the tank has nothing to do with this. We have had turtle experts tell us that banging on the glass sends auditory signals and that it could be a form of communication...your turtle could be looking for a friend.

If your turtle is alone he/she could be seeing a reflection in the glass and thinking there is another turtle there. Turtles do some interesting things when they are in the "mating mood", such as fan with their claws. Ours does what yours is doing every so often and her mate hasn't been in the same tank for years...he started beating her up and we had to move him out.

Don't go and buy a bigger tank unless you want the turtle to grow. Yes, you want him/her to be happy but this turtle will grow to "accomodate" his/her surroundings. So each time you increase the tank size, the turtle will get bigger until he/she maxxes out. This doesn't mean you should be cruel and make him live in a tiny prison, though....

These turtles need special care and if treated right live a very long time. Here is a link with excellent information on the red eared slider! Good luck!

BTW, put a mirror on the outside of the tank in one spot where your turtle can see it, without it disappearing like it may do on the glass. That way he/she won't be as lonely. (((-:
We found that doing this cut down a lot on the frenzied behavior when we had to separate our turtles.

Answer 3

You should have their basic needs down such as a dock, a large tank (ten gallons per inch of shell) as well as a filter, heater, UVA/heat bulb, and a UVB bulb. Hopefully this is accounted for..You should put a sticker on the walls so they recognize not to run into the glass. Add a mug or a fake plastic plant to the tank but not gravel as they may eat it and die. And by the way, turtles do NOT grow proportional to the size of their tank-that is only true for fish. Visit www.redearslider.com for turtle care information.

Answer 4

Get a larger tank. He wants to get out to the other side of the glass. They don't understand glass. They see thru it so it is like an invisible wall. And to be honest turtles aren't exactly "intelligent" Either cover this side of the tank with paper or background or something. OR even better is to get him a larger tank. One that he will not really want to get out. If he feels he needs more room he will try getting thru the glass. If he has enough room it is likely he wont need to get to the other side

Answer 5

my turtle did the same thing. It usually means that the turtle doesn't have enough room in his cage. Try getting a larger tank! How big is your tank currently?
Hope this helps!

Answer 6

Ah, he is begging. Congratulations, most turtles after a peroid of time, recognize their "people/owners" and associate them with food, as they are the people that feed them.

This is healthy and normal. However, I would make sure that your turtle has a variety of foods so they don't get bored.

Answer 7

i dont know why but lots of lizards and turltes and other critters in glass tanks love to get up and just rub on the glass or scratch at it. i wouldnt consider it to be a problem unless he is hurting himself or other animals/equipment/stuff.

Answer 8

he's too big for the tank

Answer 9

Is it Male or Female? They tend to do this when they want to mate.