Habitat - Indoor :: Turtle constantly hiding in new basking area

[AlienShakespeare]

I set up a basking area for my little 2" red ear and he constantly hides in the back corner of the tank where there's a little bit of space between the rock and the glass. When he had no place to hide, before I set up his tank, he was very open to being held and never hid when I would put my hand in to feed him. Now he ducks and runs whenever I attempt such actions. Do you think he's unhappy with his new surroundings even though they are MUCH superior to the conditions he lived in before I rescued him? Or is he still adapting to his new surroundings.

Previously, he was kept in a quart-sized congtainer with a pint of water and had no basking area, filter, light, regular feeding, or place to rest for over a year! I'm surprised and happy that he managed to survive my friend's girlfriend's set up. I'd think he'd be happy now that he has a nice set up with a concerned and caring overseer.

[sonyj]

It takes a while for turtles to adjust when you move or change their surroundings. This is just their nature and I'd give him a little time to get used to things. If you have the setup that he needs and know it's for his best, I'd just leave him in there and he'll adjust. Just be sure that he can't get stuck and not get out of anything you place in his tank.

What is the setup like now, tank size/amount of water, basking area, water temp/basking temp, UVB light/UVA light?

[AlienShakespeare]

I have a 20 gallon (24" wide x 12" long x 15" deep) tank with about 4 to 5 inches of water. I recently read in this forum that the tank should be nearly full without allowing him to escape. If so, I'll have to make some major adjustments to make his basking area high enough to breach the water level. My turtle is very small and doesn't seem to like to swim around, which is why I didn't put too much water. He likes to hang out on the fake drift wood log that sticks out of the water, and hang out around the water line of the basking area with his head out. Do you think more water is necessary? I hate to disturb him any more since he's still trying to adapt to his new surroundings.

The water temperature is in the low 70's, and I'm not sure how hot the basking area is. The basking area should be hotter since I have a 75W heat/UVA light shining on it. I don't have a UVB light, which I found out is important from another posting. I heard that UVB lights aren't good for the human eye. Is this light necessary, and will it harm me? I have an infrared light that I was using at night to keep the basking area warm, but I was told that is unnecessary.

Any information to help me give this little guy a better home is much appreciated. Thanks.

Richard

[marisa]

I wouldn't worry about eye damage from a UVB light. If you read that in a previous thread, you also must have read about ways to use a UVB light safely in it. The UVB light is essential for the health of your turtle's shell and bones, so I wouldn't delay getting one for your turtle.

I use infra-red lights (not the spot lights) with hatchlings to keep the ambient air temp warm during the winter. I've never found them to be necessary to use to keep the basking area warm at night (my turtles sleep in the water), but I have known of some keepers who do use them because their turtles sleep on the basking area at night (turtles do have their preferences as to where they will sleep).

It would be good to check the basking area temp with a thermometer (put it on an object the height of your turtle and leave it there 20 min. before checking the temperature) to make sure it's somewhere in the range of 88-90F. But do your turtle a favor and get that UVB light...

[sonyj]

The water temp should be a constant 78 for a hatchling. Low water temps will cause the turtle to be less active and not eat as well also hatchlings are more susceptible to illness. Get a water heater ASAP if you don't have one already.

And yes, raise the water level. He probably doesn't swim much now due to 1) lack of adequate room to swim or 2) the cooler water temp. Many keepers have said that they saw their turtles come alive after filling up their tanks with the adequate amount of water. And young turtles need to strengthen their muscles which deeper water allows.

If you are concerned about him tiring before reaching the top from swimming, place some tall plants around the tank. He will rest on these. Also, I created Koopa's own plant rest that sticks on the side of the tank a little under the water level. I'll post pictures on the forum later but I just took some fake plants and attatched them onto a suction cup I had bought in a pack for 3/$1. It was very inexpensive to do (I already had the plants) and now he has a place to rest on or sleep in. It is normal for RES to hang on to and float on things. As long as you provide some plants etc for him to do this on he'll be fine.(Koopa even does this on his lettuce leaves that float.)

[AlienShakespeare]

I recently added some live plants to his tank. He's been munching on them a lot. I feed him 3-5 pellets everyday along with the occassional lettuce and protein supplement. Should I worry about this plant munching?

[steve]

are you putting the plants in there for food or decoration? if its for decoration, look into fake plants since anything in there will get bitten and nibbled on.

[AlienShakespeare]

I had them in there for either food or decoration. I just didn't know if it would be bad for him to have a constant food source. It's bad if they over eat, isn't it?

[marisa]

Aquatic plants are fine for turtles to eat (what do you have in the tank?). Turts can make a mess, though. If you're concerned about him overeating them, keep some in a separate container of water (I use a small tank), and put some in the tank occasionally. Fake/plastic plants can be quite realistic and will add to the look of the tank without adding to your turtle's weight.

[yosmartpants]

my turtle would do the same thing- squeezing himself between the dock and glass. i put in several things he could hide behind and he stopped doing it.