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So here is my question, hopefully someone can help me. I have a turtle that is about 5 years old and is living in his tank of water. Latley i have been taking him outside however i have a picket fence so i have to sit and watch to make sure he stays in the yard. I live in TX so we dont stay out too long bc of the heat. He runs around and it seems like he loves it so i want to do it more often but it gets hard sitting out there for that amount of time...really i get bored. So i am working on making a set up so i can take him for a little while on his own..with water to cool off and shade....the works...But when i bring him back in and put him in his tank he goes crazy! He swims around bumping himself into the walls. I thought something was wrong with him last night at first! He spends a lot of time now on his back feet trying to climb out....there is no way he could get out, but acting like he is trying. I even saw that he tried to climb on the filter and fell upside down. Is this because he likes it outside or what?! I want to make him happy.....so i want to be able to take him outside...any suggestions? He is a pretty big boy....about the size of my hand....by the way. Thanks in advance.

oh, i used a different email....its mine but i dont get it as quick as the other, soi f you can use marsh_mandy@hotmail.com

You can get a kiddie pool and put some water and a basking area in the center. Then just put it so it's half way covered by shade and you can grab a chair and read or something. You'll hear him trying to climb out, so you don't have to have to constantly stare at him.

Thats what i was thinking of doing....thanks! Can i use a rock from by the lake or should i buy a specific basking "rock"? I dont want him to scrape himself.
Also...a little off the topic. I was holding him bringing him back in. The lower shell...is it supposed to be flat/curved in/out....what is it supposed to be like? Jsut curious.

I've read if the plastron, lower shell, is flat your turtle is female. If it's slightly concave, or dips in, your turtle is male. It dips in so he fits on top of female during mating. Also the males cloaca is farther from the body than the females.

I've ASLO read that this isn't always case and you have to wait until they are sexually mature to tell the genders apart, and then the males will have significantly longer front claws and a longer and thicker tail.

However, when I first got my turtle I had a lot of questions so I it to a Vet who specialized in Herps. The turtle was a little under four inches. Vet noted the above characteristics and she deemed him male. Perhaps time will prove her wrong, but I don't care. For now he's a boy and his name is Pierce.

I've heard these things as well. And that was how my turtle was picked out. I told the lady at the kiosk that I wanted a boy and she went through and felt for one with the curved plastron. Now, I don't know if it's an accurate tell regarding sex or if she was lucky, but my turtle is a male.

As for the rock. You can get one from a lake. Just find a big one that is as smooth as possible so your turtle's plastron doesn't get scratched up. Also make sure and clean it off before letting your turtle crawl around on it. You don't want to expose your turtle to any unnecessary bacteria.

Also, make sure and treat the water in the pool like you would for your tank by using water conditioner and checking temps.

SquirtleT, I take my Ruari outside too, weather allowing. I've noticed that he does that same things you say your turtle does, the running around outside and going crazy when he has to go back inside. I've taken to bringing him out in a towel with his head and front feet out for his own safety and my own, he had been giving me some pretty big scratches. He really loves that towel, he runs over to it when he's done being outside, and freaks out whenever he sees one in the house.

Quite recently, I've bought a very large kiddie pool, maybe 12 ft diameter and 16 inches deep, from the local hardware store. I didn't bother sinking it in to the ground because I live in central New York, and the weather and frost heave would ruin the pool really fast. But I filled it maybe just under half way and whats left of the sides are too steep and slippery for him to escape. I also found a nice big flat rock that's sloped and high enough so he can get out completely if he wants. If you do this, make sure its in the center and small enough so your turtle can escape off the sides. I tested it today and he must have been the happiest turtle, he swam laps as fast as he could and was climbing all over his rock. I might post a few pictures once its done, I've still got to find something for shade, I was thinking an umbrella because I could move it through the day. Definitely make sure to check the temp of the water though, I wouldn't want it too much warmer than their regular tank water.

For the umteenth time, the concave plastron does not apply when sexing RES. The concave plastron applies to terrestrials. If someone has a RES that's a male that appears to have a concave plastron, it is coincidental, and I'll bet if that turtle was compared with a land turtle, the plastron wouldn't even compare. (If it did, I'd think something was wrong with the RES.)

The reason for the concave plastron on certain species of males is that they mate on land, and the shape the plastron helps the male remain on the back of the female during mating. Turtles that mate in water do not need this feature.