General Care Discussion :: Handling and playing with your RES

[Jakob]

How often should I give attention to my turtle ? Its just a baby still, about 6 months old. I understand the precautions regarding washing hands and bacteria etc. but how often should I take it out of its tank and handle it ? does it matter to a turtle? how long should these attention times last before putting it back ? Is it ok to place it on the carpet and let it wander around ? ( under supervision ).


Thanks greatly !

[Starchick]

It depends on the turtle. Most are content to stay in their tanks. When you take him out, watch carefully for signs of fear or stress. If you see any, it's best to let him be a look don't touch sort of pet. I have one turtle who loves exploring, one that's indifferent and two that get really scared. If you do bring him out, 15 minutes is probably plenty. Watch him at all times as little turtles are easy to lose in a matter of seconds. I would also check the room temperature and make sure he's protected from drafts.

[BullDog]

Turtles aren't necessarily a "hands-on" pet, and as starchick said, are perfectly content to stay in their tanks.
However, turtles personalities differ greatly.
For me, Ralph hates being out of his tank. He usually stays sucked into his shell. When he finally comes out, 10 minutes or so later, he makes a beeline for the nearest dark hiding spot.
I haven't had Frankie out of her tank much yet, so I'm not sure how she'd act.

Just a word of caution: You may want to stay away from carpeted areas. Firstly, your turtle may poop or pee on the floor, and that would be messy to clean out of the carpet. Secondly, fibres from the carpet can get wrapped around your turtles legs and cut off circulation. They can also be tough to unwrap.

[TheComputerGremlin]

You also want to make sure you can thoroughly wash the area with like a Lysol wipe or something afterwards, another reason not to have them on carpet. If you have any other pets or people living there, take extra precautions. Oh, and remember, they may look slow, but they can move quickly when they want to. You can easily lose them under a fridge or other furniture. And they won't come out until they want to. It's good to get them out occasionally, I guess, and handle them so they become more comfortable with you. Start off with just a couple minutes and work up to longer times. And a lot of people pat them off dry before letting them wander around.

[megcornell]

A good way to develop a "bond" with your turtle that isn't too stressful to the turtle is to hand feed them. Because you're leaving the turtle in their tank where they feel safest and letting them partake in their favorite event-- eating, it seems like a win-win to the turtle.
Once a turtle associates you with food, you go from being a possible predator to a welcome visitor.

[Holly Golightly]

My turtle (a little over 1 year old) stresses out when I take her out of the her tank. I once put her in a big tupperware bucket that I feed her in sans water and she wouldn't come out of her shell. After about 15 minutes, I put her back in the tank because I didn't want her to be cold. Others have suggested hand feeding her so I'm gonna try that, but I think she just likes being in the tank.

[industrial_girl_2000]

It depends on the turtle, but most turtles would rather not be handled. Turtles are not a "hands-on" pet like a cat or dog. They don't need "petting."

Having said all that, many of the older/bigger adult turtles who have been around gentle people their entire lives tend to develop a bit of a bond with their caretaker & don't mind being picked up or walking around outside the tank. Keep in mind that this type of bond can take up to 10 yrs to develop because a turtle's ability to learn things is very slow. Not to mention, it goes against their natural instinct to "hide" when they are out of the water which is why it takes so long for them to get used to people.

[Bascomb]

It is not a good idea to take a little turtle out much as they get cooled off and then you warm them back quickly. The constant warm, cool, warm, cool it not good for them. Your best bet to ''bond'' with a turtle if to hand feed him. I am not sure that you can bond with a turtle. It is a reptile and food is all they care about.