General Care Discussion :: whining

[kelsey]

so, as i posted yesterday - i just got a RES a few days ago from my dumb brother.

i have upgraded her tank (he had barely any water, a rock, no filter, and gravel in her tank) by giving her a heat lamp, good filter, a lot more water and i'm patting myself on the back, and all of a sudden she is whining, like a little puppy.

the basking station that i got today is kind of crappy, its this floating one with suction cups that doesn't seem too suctiony. i set her on top of it a few times and she just jumps back in the water and hasn't attempted to get on it herself.

do you think she is tripping out over that? too much water too soon? will she be ok through the night? or do turtles just whine sometimes?

[SpotsMama]

Do you mean she was actually making sounds? Turtles do not normally make sounds. Sometimes they make a wheezing sound or "chirping" sound when they are sick and having trouble breathing. Frequently if they are mad about something or scared, they will hiss like a snake. Does this describe what your turtle's doing?

On the basking, you need to let your RES decide to get up and bask on her own. She'll never stay up there if you put her up there - she has a mind of her own. Your job will be to motivate her to want to get up and bask. What motivates a turtle to get up and bask is heat - they are natural heat seekers. The temperature on the basking platform needs to be warmed to about 90 degrees by the heat lamp, whereas the water needs to stay at around 78. Then she'll want to climb up on the basking platform to get warm.

Basking is extremely important. They need to be exposed to good UVB light for the health of their shells and bones and they need the warmth to aid digestion. Warmth also stimulates their immune systems.

If your turtle dock is the zoo med brand, then it's really a very good dock. Lots of people on here use them.

There's a wealth of information on here on how to set up a good habitat for your turtle so it will stay healthy and grow. I'd advise you to read through all of it - it will save you much grief down the road. After you've read, if you have questions, come back here and ask away.

Good luck. Be patient with your new little pet. When turtles are suddenly put in a strange situation they get very nervous. It will take a week or two for her to calm down. While she's nervous she won't want to bask and may not want to eat. To help her settle in, keep the water temperature at a steady 78 degrees and avoid stressing her - ie, don't pick her up unless you have to and give her privacy to bask and eat.

It's sounds like you're making a good effort to create a nice home for her. She will appreciate you over the long term.

[steve]

My female RES is a bit heavy and sometimes makes a slight "whining" when she's breathing heavy. This usually happens after she surfaces from some very active swimming.