Urgent Care :: Sleeping and i think he ate pebble

[virusspawn]

Hi Guys my baby RES 1 1/2 inch

in a 10 gallon tank
water is kept warm
i take him outside to bask


behavior- when hes in the container he stays in the same place of moves around a little,
then he closes his eyes and i think hes sleeping but my slightest moves makes him open his eye( like if i get close to him) also he lvoes to stay in dark areas

Now
when i take him out of my tank and let him roam my room he looks for the darkest place behind my table.

on my bed he trys to walk towards the shade the conforter makes if i lift the contforter up he goes farther, its like the donkey with the carrot trick, but with my turtle and the shade or darkness,

also i think he ate a pebble, whcih i go rid of, what are the signs

why is he acting like that
Thanks Guys

[Threepwood]

Well, he's probably just looking for a hiding spot. My RES likes to hide among the fake plants (sometimes it even takes me a minute to find him). So I think that's pretty natural, especially for the very young ones.

As for the pebble...how big do you think it was? If it was fairly small, it's entirely possible for him to just pass it with no complications. I know for a fact that my RES did the exact same thing (because, after I removed the pebbles from my tank, I noticed a very small, tiny fragment of one appear in the tank the next day...which I'm guessing means he passed it fine). That was about a month ago, so it doesn't always mean the end of the world. And it's a mistake I'll never make again.

Just make sure you've removed all of the other pebbles and what not, or anything else that might fit in his mouth that's, well, not suppose to go in there.

[virusspawn]

what about him staying still and not swimmin alot.
also
how much should i keep the water
hes 1 1/2 inches

[virusspawn]

haha
when im sitting on my bed and hes on the bed with me
he evens goes between my leg and the bed,(like where the bed begins and my thigh ends the crack) becuase its dark in between

whats this obsession with the dark and corners?
hes not scared of me i know that because he doenst go in shell and walks all over me.

Why

[Threepwood]

Well, at 1 1/2 inches, that'd equate to about, say, 20 gallons (yeah, I know, that sounds like a lot). But at the moment I have a turtle at about a similar size (say, 2 inches) and he's also in a 10 gallon tank for the time being. I have it filled nearly to the top with water, though.

As for the staying still and not swimming a lot...how long have you had the turtle? When they're first introduced into a new habitat, they tend to either be really jittery or act totally lethargic for a while as they get used to things (in my short experience).

Honestly, since he's constantly going for the dark areas, and I'm assuming he's hiding, I wouldn't take him out of his tank unless you absolutely have to (cleanings, etc.). It's hard to tell if a turtle is scared or not.

[SpotsMama]

I agree with Threepwood - your turtle is probably scared and looking for a place to hide. Until he's a lot older and more used to you, it would be best not to stress him by picking him up unless you really need to.

On the pebble, keep a close eye out and make sure he's pooping normally. If the pebble was too large for him to pass, then it could stop him up inside. If he stops pooping he'll require the assitance of a vet right away.

[virusspawn]

ive had him for 6 days now

and how much should i fill the water up to?

[Kallistos]

As high as you possibly can. Since your turtle is only 1 1/2 inches you'll want to provide plants and other material for him or her to rest on.

[SpotsMama]

Well he's practically brand new then! That makes it even more important that you give him lots of peace and quiet and privacy. Right now he needs to do a lot of adjusting to his new home.

On water depth, you should fill the tank up as far as you can BUT not so far that your turtle can climb out and escape. If he can stand on something - anything like his basking platform, heater, filter - and reach the rim of the tank with his front paws, then he can probably escape. They have amazing strength in their arms and legs. So keep the water low enough that this can't happen.

If your turtle isn't used to deep water, then increase the depth in your tank gradually - maybe an inch every few days - so he can get used to it. Also, be sure he's got places to rest if he gets tired swimming. For example, he can rest on the top of a plastic plant that reaches to the top of the water.

Here are some photos of good indoor habitats so you can see how people have handled the water level:

http://www.redearslider.com/habitat_gallery.html

[Threepwood]

Oh...well, six days is a fairly short amount of time, so that's a pretty good indication that it's just getting used to its new environment. I wouldn't worry about that. I'm still unsure about the pebble thing, though, so like SpotsMama said, keep a close watch and make sure it's having normal bowel movements.

I'd fill the tank up with as much water as you can, while leaving enough room at the top so that he won't be able to climb out, and so there's enough room for a basking area. You can pick up a good Zoo Med basking platform at Petco for about $10.

And as another side note...for only having him for six days, it sure sounds like you remove him from the tank quite a bit. Not a good move. Give him his space, and he'll eventually chill out.

[rockstar]

six days isnt enough time for him to be totally comfortable with you and not get stressed out whenever you pick him up.
..in other words... exactly what spotsmama and threepwood said.

[virusspawn]

What are some recomemded UV Ray lights i can get?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Go back to your original post about UV lights.