Habitat - Outdoor :: turtles acting skittish and shy outside only?

Ponds and other outdoor enclosures.

Post Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:04 am   turtles acting skittish and shy outside only?

not sure if this goes here, but just want to know if this is normal.

me and my boyfriend have 3 baby turtles,

inside one, dr. mambo is skittish, when i go to feed them he first dives to the bottom and hides and then comes up for food, and if i get to close to him he ducks down. he also dives and hides when i walk past the tank.

the other 2 toothless and Alcatraz are very active and not shy at all, coming over and begging for food and following. toothless also doesn't mind being held. and he's the first to spot me and beg the longest.

now we have an outdoor pen set up also for warm days when we are doing things outside. it's those plastic garden barricades borders reinforced with bricks. we have their heat lamp outside when we do this also. buried in the ground is plastic tote with sand in the bottom and filled with water. we have different colored rocks set up all around for sun bathers and one under the heat lamp, it has dirt patches, grass and weed covered mostly and a sandy corner. however it's not that big, we are talking 1.5ft square.

now we take them outside, and toothless, no matter what goes straight for the water. if i put them in the water, al and mambo climb out and then go burry themselves under the grass next to an edge. they aren't digging or anything, just legs tucked in and hidden. sometimes mambo with walk around a bit before doing this. al if i put him on the grass won't even move from where i set him down. he only moves if i put him in the water.

and only toothless eats while out side. :/ he also doesn't leave the water without force, will warm up under the lamp when i put him there and stay long enough for that, then b-line for the water again. i take the boy out when he starts getting sluggish. :/

so can i ask are they just spassing from something new? cause when i move them back and forth between my 2 fish tanks they don't act like this in the house. it's only outside they act weird. they aren't left unattended and nothing picking on them. anyone got any suggestions?
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:51 am   Re: turtles acting skittish and shy outside only?

Being skittish when outside is not totally uncommon, but I'm curious as to what are the temperatures?
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:18 pm   Re: turtles acting skittish and shy outside only?

Since you keep putting them in the outside area and they are not used to it that adds to the skittish effect but in general being outside i find all turtle become more skittish.
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:59 pm   Re: turtles acting skittish and shy outside only?

the water is usually cool. it's been like right after rains, and it being ohio the day before was like low 60 and then the next is 80's and we go out while we can.

usually taking them outside when it's mid 70's to the 80's.
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