General Care Discussion :: out of water

[zeek]

guys, how long can my red ear slider stay out of water??

[hdaisog]

During warmer months mine will wander around my yard (supervised) for hours or around the house. They have access to water if they want it, but easily are ok for a few hours. I don't think there is any issue with their shell or skin getting dry, but similar to any other animal they need water to drink every once in awhile.

[fultonh]

i once read they can spend about a month out of the water as long as they aren't overheating and therefore in a warm area in the shade if outside.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I think some more detail is needed as to why your RES needs to be out of water. If you are tank cleaning and it needs to sit overnight, you should probably provide a secondary tank. If you just want to keep him out of water, that's a different story altogether.

[mikee]

Ful-on – If your turtle was out a month, he was getting hydrated some how. I may have been burrowing someplace where he was cool and wet. It is not a good idea at all to leave them out that long. I only dry dock mine a few hours or over night, at most, depending on the situation.

[fultonh]

I agree, depending on your situation i wouldnt recommend leaving your RES out of the water for more then a couple of hours. Although in the wild there has been cases were RES have been okay out of the water for several weeks there is still moisture amougst them.
I allow my turtles out for about 2 or 3 hours a night just exercising and about another 3 hours every other week when i clean the tank. I woudlnt risk any more time than that.
When taking my res to the vet, it is usually out for about 4 hours which the vet said is fine.

[marisa]

I'm curious as to why you're asking this question...

[industrial_girl_2000]

i once read they can spend about a month out of the water as long as they aren't overheating and therefore in a warm area in the shade if outside.

I would not test this. The most my turtle has ever been out of the water is 8 hours, but she is an ADULT turtle & I let her wander about my house. The reason I allow her to wander a bit is because I don't have any kids/dogs/cats, or stairs where she could fall down, and she is big enough where she won't get lost. Also, I have mentioned it before on this board, but Sheba actually listens to me & comes when I call her. She's not nervous or stressed being out of the tank, and that's why I allow it from time to time.

Having said all that, I would not allow most turtles out of the water because most of them are very nervous/stressed when they are out of the tank. The fact that they run for the nearest dark spot & try to hide is a sign that they feel "exposed" and are trying to hide. Most don't like to be out in the open because they feel vulnerable (feel like they need protection).

Also, RES's are aquatic animals and are designed to spend at least 1/2 their time in water (you can tell from the webbed hands/feet & they actually swim better than they walk). Nature designed them this way.