Habitat - Indoor :: RIP Leonardo (turtle dock)

[stanthrax]

So this morning I woke up to see that one of my turtles, Leonardo drowned over night.

i had recently put in the turtle dock basking spot... which is one of the most popular ones... and he got himself caught in between the bars and the glass of the tank... and couldn't come up for air.

SO... i'm just warning others... if you have baby turtles... and you are buying a basking spot... just keep in mind that they can get caught in this one.




rip Leo... i let u down

[missibsu]

Sorry about your loss. I use that kind of dock and my turts are forever trying to go behind the bars, but they have never wedged themselves in there.

[wetchikn]

I am sorry about your loss and I just bought that same dock....I am going to have to reconsider.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

its weird how they like those tight spaces.

[Jessica313]

aw im really sorry for your loss. i definantly know what you mean. i have one of those docks too but my turtle is big... he is constantly knocking the 2 suction cups at the bottom loose from the glass so that he can swim through the plastic and the glass....

[CountryGirl68]

Sorry to hear about Leo. For small turtles, it can be easy for them to get stuck between the bars and the glass. My turtle will try to stick his head between the bars when I put him into the tank after taking him out. To stop him from doing this, I provided him with an area in the corner of the tank that is covered with a bushy fake plant. It gives him the security he needs without any risks.

[sofall]

i have that same dock.. my babies like to put their heads in the holes wear the bars go through and breathe through that.. its kind of weird but i hope they dont get stuck either..

sorry for your loss...

[grey goose]

Don't blame yourself...Most RES keepers will agree the most difficult part of setting up a habitat is by far the basking area and ramp.

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss! Those turtles do like to squeeze into tight spaces. Mine used to scare me with his dock so I took the bottom two suckers off and that seemed to make it easier for him to get loose.

I really think there ought to be warnings on the package. Lots of people on here have commented on the same sort of thing.

[marisa]

So sorry to hear about what happened! (Personally, I've never been a fan of those docks. They don't allow for any movement if a turtle should get stuck behind them, as yours did.)

[lotsofpets]

I am really sorry to hear about your loss! I just bought one of those turtle docks last Saturday, but now I am considering taking it out and returning it to the store from which I got it. (My turtle does not seem to like it anyway) Maybe some of us should explain some of the problems with the dock to Zoo Med (to possibly prevent other trajedies).

[tissigirl]

I'm so sorry about Leo. Thank you for the warning to everyone.

I use the same dock for Mr. Turtle, but he's 17 years old and way to big to ever get caught in them. I will keep this in mind if I ever get another turtle.

[GPRenegade]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I had that dock as well and I used to get really worried as my RES would try to swim between the bars and tried to push his way through the crack for air... I tried modifying it but eventually got rid of it. Too much stress.

If you or anyone else is going to buy a turtle in the future, I have found that buying medium sized rocks and sloping them up to a basking area seems to work best. Completely safe and much more natural looking.

I'll post pictures of my setup in the proper forum.