Habitat - Indoor :: Turtle standing on the water heater

[mary]

I'm having trouble with my turtle standing on the heater, which pushes it down into the gravel (a big no, no). I moved it yesterday to underneath his dock, and I hope that helps, but I'm concerned since we're going out of town in a few weeks, and I'm afraid it will somehow break.
Any thoughts?

[cam722]

You could put it vertical that way he wouldn't be able to stand on it. I've done this in the past.

[marisa]

You could look into a heater guard (Tronic makes them and they fit a variety of heaters, if you get one, just make sure the length is compatible with yours). You could also get some PVC pipe, cut it the length of your heater and drill enough holes in it for water to circulate and cap the ends (you'd have to slit one cap to fit the cord in it).

Having the water heater pushed into it isn't the only reason why gravel isn't really a good idea in the tank...

[mary]

Carol,
The water level is too low to cover a vertical heater. I wish I could use one.

Marissa,
What makes gravel a poor choice for the bottom of the tank? This is the first time I've had him in an honest to goodness tank, so I didn't realize it wasn't good.

[marisa]

If the gravel is small enough to eat, at some point your turt may be tempted to try it (it's also thought that eating gravel/pebbles is a sign that a turtle is looking for more calcium in the diet as well). If he does, there's the chance of him not being able to expel it and get impacted, which would require medical care. I think it's better to be safe than sorry. (Gravel also makes cleaning harder, and can contribute to an unpleasant smell if not cleaned well and debris remains in it.)

Many people use smooth river rocks larger than the turtle's head in the tank. He won't be able to eat them, and they'll add to the look of the tank. You don't need a lot, just enough for him to push around.

[cam722]

What size tank do you have and how much water do you have in it? I have a 20 gal long and it's not that high yet I had my water heater in it vertically. I figured thought you said your turtle was like 12" so he/she should be in a rather large tank for that size turtle.

[mary]

Scoot should be in a larger tank, but he's in a 40 gal one.
The heater is about 8" long and I have about 9 inches of water in the tank. I had it higher than that, but he wouldn't use the dock at that height.

By the way, when you mention turtle size, are you measuring body length or shell length?

[cam722]

You should measure just the shell .. it's called Straight Carapace Length (SCL). You measure from the top of the shell behind the head to the bottom just above the tail but without the curve.

There is a diagram here that shows what I'm talking about...

http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic ... ements_age

If you have a 40 gallon tank that should be more than enough water to put it vertical. What type of dock setup do you have that he wouldn't use it if the water was higher?

Another solution might be to put it crosswise in the tank.. That is how mine is at the moment. The little buggers would get under it and push and push trying to get it off the glass. So I raised it high enough that they can't do that anymore

[mary]

Scoot has been demoted in size from "about a foot" down to 7"! I was measuring using head/neck plus feet.

I've got the Zoo Med dock that attaches to the sides of the tank. When it's higher than where it is now, Scoot uses it as a cave to hide under and won't climb up it to bask.

I've got the heater under the dock for now, so he's finally leaving it alone.

[echopulse]

I've been observing hundreds of baby sliders for several months, all living in aquariums with gravel, and never once have I seen one try to eat any. And this is even with them not being fed very often. But your miliage may vary.