General Care Discussion :: Jumpy and Not so Friendly Friend

[geraldcor]

Hello all,

I am new here and new to Turtles. My girlfriend surprised me with a Red Ear Slider about a month ago. This was completely unexpected and a bit of a stressor because I had to scramble to get all of the supplies I needed while still working and going to school. So I finally have a pretty good setup (UVB light finally arrived) and Juarez (he was smuggled from Mexico - Long Story) seems to be doing fine. My only concern is that he is incredibly jumpy. He is still very small (about 1.5 inches or so) so I don't know if this is normal, but whenever I walk into the room and he is basking he shoots into the water. Even if he is sticking his nose out of the water for a breather and he sees me he will scurry away. Is this normal or has he had too much trauma to be comfortable in his home?

Oh, also, I don't pick him up very often because he really doesn't seem to like it at all. His legs are constantly pushing and he has even jumped off my hand into the water. Should I play with him more to get him used to human interaction?

[Bumby's Mom]

Babies are very jumpy. I hatched my 2 babies (they are painted not RES) and they sit still for about 30 seconds before they are wanting to move and run and everything.

[Blue Flamingo]

Yep it's normal. Even my big girl is jumpy.

[geraldcor]

Oh. Ok. Thanks. Is there a way to get him more used to me or is time the only medicine?

[mikee]

Yep, this normal. I have had some success with having a routine. I only feed them in the evening after dark and I tap the pellet food can on the glass just before I feed them. By doing this they will begin to associate the food with you. Keeping a routine and no excessive noise will cause them to settle down. The being jumpy is a survival instinct and it may take a while to calm it down.

[marisa]

Time often helps, although some turtles are naturally more skittish than others. When he associates you with food, he should warm up to you more. Rather than "playing" with him, you could try taking him out of the tank and feeding him in a separate container of water. The contact you have with him at that time might help him get more used to you as well.

[SpotsMama]

It's perfectly normal for a little one to be jumpy. He sees you as a giant who might just try to eat him. In fact, I worry when a little turtle isn't jumpy because often it means he's sick.

As they get older and more confident, though there are differences due to personality, they usually get friendlier and friendlier. My 5 year old was really jumpy when he was little, but now he'll let me pick him up off the basking platform, and when he's outside the tank, he often follows me around like a dog.

The way to a turtle's heart is through his stomach. When he figures out you're the one that feeds him he'll start to warm up.