Habitat - Indoor :: Some turtles just want to watch the world burn

[Matt1234]

Hello!

So my turtle, Raphael is incredibly destructive. I am trying to find something to spruce up his tank. I put a few aquatic plants in there: water lillies and anubis. He has decimated everything I have added within a day. I am concerned about putting plastic plants in there in case he starts destroying them and swallows a piece. I give him feeder goldfish about once every couple weeks as a treat and for some enrichment.

He is friendly with me and is fairly docile when I pick him up every day to put him in his feeder tank. He hisses and and threatens anyone else if they are in the room when I am holding him. His only other "friend" is a goldfish who for whatever reason he doesn't eat. He with give a half hearted attempt to chase him every once in awhile but besides that mostly ignores him.

Any advice for something I can put in there that can survive his onslaught? Maybe some more enrichment that is sturdy to break the boredom?

To cover the basics: he eats fine, basks every day and temperatures are all in the recommended ranges. He is a little over 4 1/2 in.

[Kansasslider]

Goldfish are not recommended for food. You could add some mapani wood. Sand substrate?

[Matt1234]

The wood is a good option.

I did not realize that about goldfish. I wasn't feeding them at first but then my vet highly recommended to start doing it.

[Kansasslider]

Its strange that your vet would recommend gold fish? I fed my turtles crayfish until I read they carry disease. Oops. Hey, we all learn.
http://www.redearslider.com/prey.html

[AndreaF590]

I've tried live plants with my turtle and he tore them up but he leaves the artificial ones alone. He nipped at them when I first put them in, but when he realized they had no flavor and weren't real he left them alone. I only have plastic plants, not the fabric kind.