Urgent Care :: Turtle staying under water...help!!

[bam]

[i]I have 2 RES, about 2 years old...one of them got out of the tank last night. I put her/him back in and it stayed on the bottom for a long time acting like it couldn't swim up...I panicked and took it out and put it in another tank with less water that it can stay on dry land easier. It is also holding its tail over to the side...I thought maybe it was trying to get out to nest (not sure if its a female or not) It did eat last night. Is there any way to tell if it is trying to find a place to lay eggs? Thanks!![/i]

[corey7144]

If its about two years old its not mature enough to have babies. Also it probably just swam to the bottom because it was scared after being put back in. Mine are always like that. And the tail thing, are you saying the tail is tucked to the side in the shell? Because i'm pretty sure thats normal.

[industrial_girl_2000]

When you say that your RES "got out of the tank", did he/she fall all the way down to the floor? How far did he fall? How long was your RES out of the tank before you found him? Did he look injured?

Secondly, ALL RES's will try to get out of the tank, whether they are female or not. It's up to us to prevent them from falling out of the tank. Can you post a picture of your tank?

[bam]

My turtle fell about 5 feet...the tank is a very nice fish aquarium...octagon, about 40 gallons. The water is pretty far from the top and the only way it could have gotten out is if it got on the filter and climbed up out of the hole where the bulb shines in...it has a cover over most of the top, but I guess I will have to put a screen over that small hole...so RES can't lay eggs at 2 years old?? I thought they could...misinformed, I guess. I don't think the turtle was injured....it is eating...guess I'll try to put it back in its regular tank tonight and see how it does..

Thanks!

[SpotsMama]

Some turtles mature a lot faster than others. 2 years old is pretty young, but if your girl grew fast and is at least 5" long, it's conceivable she could be ready to lay eggs now. the rule of thumb is that a RES has to be at least 5" long (straight shell length) before laying eggs. You'd better read up on the subject because you'll need to make preparations for when she's gravid.

A turtle that needs to lay loses her appetite and tries frantically to get out of the tank.

Here's a link on the subject:

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

Stay alert for injuries. Even if the shell isn't broken, there could be an injury to a leg or arm or her head.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Also, 40 gallons is WAY too SMALL for two turtles over 2 years old. At that point, 100 gallons minimum. It's possible that one was trying to escape aggression from the other, possibly injured before it fell. Have you closely examined the tail? Are there bite marks?

[bam]

My tank is about 2 feet deep and I thought that is big enough for the 2 turtles...maybe they are not full grown yet...I also watch them and they are not at all aggresseve toward each other

Thanks!


ok...I just put the one back in the original tank...it seems to have a hard time staying at the top to get air...the other one seems to float, but this one seems to be struggling to keep from sinking...when I got it out to put it in the smaller tank so it wouldn't drown, it started being aggressive toward me...it tried to bite, and it had never done that before...what's wrong with my turtle????
thanks

[TheComputerGremlin]

Well, trying to bite you is normal, even if they haven't done it before, it means he's got some fight in him, which is good. Lethargic turtles are bad. He may have tried to bite you because he's frustrated he's having trouble swimming.

Since you seem to have an additional tank, I would keep him in it for a few days, and gradually increase the water level. He may be scared to swim and that's why he's struggling. Or he may be hurt. Increase the water level an inch or two each day until he's back up to a full tank and able to get up to the top. If at any point he seems like he can't make it up with the water level you're at, you can decrease it. I'd give him a couple days before looking for a vet to try to do an X ray of his limbs.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Oh, and depth isn't the only factor on tank size. You need to have 10 gallons per inch of turtle and it adds up. So, two 4" turtles (the size they are typically after a year) would need 4 x 10 x 2 gallons of water, or 80 gallons. Two full sized turtles, 12 x 10 x 2 gallons of water, or 240 gallons of water. (Of course assuming there isn't aggression and they end up living alone for the rest of their lives.) A 40 gallon tank is good for ONE 4" turtle or TWO 2" turtles. But turtles don't stay 2" for very long ...

[marisa]

bam, turtles will often tuck their tails in when they're stressed. It sounds like your turtle has gone through a fair amount (the fall, changing tanks, etc.).

You have a really deep tank? If so, are there objects for your turtles to rest on (like fake plants)?