I own painted turtles, two to be exact. Only one has a vary strange problem, which is that he can’t swim straight.
Just to give you an idea of their tank; They have a little dock that they are able to perch on, but 70% of the tank is water.
Here’s my problem-
My painted turtle loves to swim to the bottom of the tank and eat moss, however he can never seem to get back to the surface after diving in. As he’s swimming he’ll make a sudden turn and begin to spin uncontrollably. Sometimes he’ll rise to the surface but will be belly up. More often then not, I have to reach in and place him back on his rock, but when I do this, he’ll all of a sudden look sad. After I rescue him, he just lays in the rock with both back legs spread open while my other turtle plays around in the water. This isn’t only exclusive to the water though, sometimes I’ll pick him up and place him on a flat surface so I can get a good look at him and see if something is wrong, but then he starts running in circles. I’m terrified of the thought of him drowning or being in danger, so if you know anything at all, please tell me!