I have a small red eared slider turtle. I now keep him in a small aquarium with rocks at the bottom with just about 2 1/2 inches of water. Can I put him in deep water? Can they swim?
2007-10-13 14:20:20 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Yes they can swim. Just make sure it has something it can sit on (above water) like a floating dock or a branch. I recommend Petsmart's floating docks. They are a foam material with two metal poles through the back and have suction cups that stick it to the side of the aquarium. The foam bobs just at the top of the water so it's perfect for whatever level you fill it too. They need to spend time out of the water under a heat lamp as well
2007-10-13 14:29:11 · answer #1 · answered by TexasGirl 3 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Well with my experience with having a red eared slider for the last 5 years I now keep mine in a 60 gallon tank. He just kept outgrowing his tanks. I went from a tiny round turtle tank ( the kind you get from the pet store when they are babies) then to a 5 gallon then 10, 20 and now a 60 gallon with a filter. He is big enough where I can fill it to a little less than half the tank with water (about his body length if her were standing up). I put enough water in it so he can swim around in but I know that he needs to be able to stand on something high enough to so he can put his head up out of the water to breath when he tires or sleeps. So make sure he has rocks big enough for that. Like I said I have had my turtle for 5 going on 6 years and I still enjoy watching him swim (not so much cleaning his tank but the filter makes it easier). I hope you enjoy yours for many years to come.
2007-10-13 21:52:33 · answer #2 · answered by Susan G 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
There are a lot of vague misunderstandings about Red-ear Sliders, including this odd idea that they should be kept in shallow water.
In the wild, these guys are excellent swimmers- they use the water to escape predators, hunt food, thermoregulate, hide, exercise, mate, etc.
They love water, and swim just fine. It may take a little while for it to get used to it, and it will need a good basking spot, but it will probably LOVE having more water!
2007-10-13 22:11:23 · answer #3 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 6⤊ 2⤋
yes u can but if u see him strrugling to get to the top then you must lower the water lvl. U should fill up the water up to the turtles width.
2007-10-16 13:19:46 · answer #4 · answered by sd3211990 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Despite what the previous posters have told you, baby red ears (and many other aquatic turtles) are actually VERY POOR swimmers, they can and will drown in deep water if they cannot easily reach the surface. In the wild, they tend to live in shallow, heavily vegetated water ways, where they can CLIMB, rather than swim, to the surface. If you want to keep your turtle in deep water, make sure that there is plenty of underwater structure (rocks, driftwood) for the turtle to climb on.
Bigpoppa: I have been keeping herps for 40+ years, and have kept hundreds of specimens, including red-ears. I do not fabricate answers, and I do not answer questions unless I actually KNOW the answer. My answers are not "bad" as you suggest, but I will admit that my answers are not exactly what many of the children (including you) on Yahoo answers want to hear. If you don't believe me, you might RESEARCH the habits of aquatic turtles before making an uninformed accusation. I am trying to help this person keep from drowning their turtle. Baby turtles do not always have the strength to surface in deep water, and without something to climb on they will drown. Plain and simple. If you want to keep your animals incorrectly , I guess that's your problem.
2007-10-13 22:17:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 6⤋
Can you put him in deep water? Yes, yes, yes.
Can they swim? Yes, yes, yes.
They love to do it just about all the time.
But just as a couple of others have said, a dry area for basking is very important to your turtle and will make it happier and healthier too.
2007-10-13 21:40:40 · answer #6 · answered by Joe H 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Although turtles are excellent swimmers baby turtles CAN drown...please don't listen to all these people...the depth of the water should be about the length of your turtle...you res should be able to come up for air and have escalating dry land to comfortably go in and out of the water...see my source below it's a great informational site that will help you with any future concerns as well...
2007-10-14 10:43:09 · answer #7 · answered by Nicolasaaaa 2 · 2⤊ 6⤋
well i have 2 and a baby snapping turtle so all i can say is make sure they/he/she can swim
2007-10-13 22:02:25 · answer #8 · answered by :) 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
please ignore Charlie D's answer. he gave all the right answers a thumbs down, but he is wrong. alot of his answers are bad. red ear sliders are great swimmers and can live in deep water.
2007-10-13 22:24:11 · answer #9 · answered by WILL 3 · 4⤊ 2⤋
yes it said that you should put him in water so that they full under water i have deep water in my tank so he can swim its fun to watch them swim to hope this helps.
2007-10-14 01:40:43 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 5⤊ 1⤋