Habitat - Indoor :: What's the veredict- Is gravel good or bad?

[DanielRES1180]

People here and there have told me gravel in the tank is bad because it carries the risk of impaction. Then there are people that tell me that gravel is good because it aids digestion. What is the truth? Who should I believe?
Oh before I forget, can those those round rocks commonly found in and around homes be a good substitute for river rocks. Almost all of them aren't sharp, and those that are aren't as sharp as to cut a turtle. They are large enough to discourage a turtle from eating them, and the best part, I have tons of them! Alls I need is to do is to wash a batch of them and gualla (my French is horrible ). Alls I need is your clearance to reassure me on this.

[cam722]

yes the rocks you found in your yard would be fine as long as they are bigger than your turtles head and not sharp enough to hurt the turtle. Just make sure you clean them VERY well. I've heard the same thing about the rocks aiding digestion of turtles in the wild.. I'd not take the risk with my turtles though.. and the word in french is Voila

[DanielRES1180]

Like I said my French is horrible. I just spell things phonetically. Maybe that's why I'm just horrible when it comes to world cultures .

[steve]

Skip it. Most people agree that captive turts are also more likely to try to eat gravel than their wild counterparts

[fishandcandy]

Fish tank gravel (which definitely does not occur in the wild) is what causes the most problems.
Make sure the rocks are fairly smooth, also. If they're too abrasive they can damage the shell.
My neighbor just got a load of river rock delivered for his yard... do you think he'll notice if I sneak over and take a few...

[jenaero]

I think I heard marisa explain it quite well once. Something about wild turtles may eat pebbles and such to aid in digestion but it's few and far between, whereas a captive res with a whole tank-bottom full of gravel has more opportunity to eat a lot of it and get impacted.

was that about right marisa?

[DanielRES1180]

I just replaced all the gravel with the rocks from my yard last night. I cleaned them with a toothbrush to remove the dirt and what not, and I washed them very well. I think I might have to get some more, because some spots between rocks are bare. What do you guys think?
I have other myths on the tip of my keyboard that I just can't think of right now . Maybe a moderator might want to rename this topic "Common turtle myths".

[sonyj]

Don't feel like you have to cover each inch of the bottom with rocks like it was with the gravel. Many keepers let the bottom of the tank stay bare or almost bare with just a handful of larger rocks to decorate and keep the turtles occupied. The more rocks, the more places for debris to get trapped and degrade the water quality faster.

[marisa]

Yes, that's about right (although I wonder how you "heard" me). A lack of calcium in the diet (and being in a confined space) may also cause them to try to eat pebbles in an effort to try to replace it if they can't find anything else...

[DanielRES1180]

So that's why Gill from Finding Nemo says fish tanks do things to them?

[Dreamopen]

I took all the pebbles out the first thing I saw my turtles eating them. Removing the pebbles also kept the water clean. Therefore less water change.