General Care Discussion :: necessary amount of water for a hatchling?

[saioke740]

i been told around 3-5 inches so thats where i got my water setup to right now but if thats true how do hatchlings survive in the wild with deep water?

the reason i want to know is im getting a floating turtle dock soon so i can fill up my aquarium (right now its limited due to my basking rocks) and want to know if i should fill it deeper? if i do fill it deeper i could start using my aquarium filter...

[SpotsMama]

Even brand new turtles can handle water that's quite deep if they are introduced to it slowly and they have a place to rest - like a plastic plant that reaches to the surface of the water - if they get tired of swimming. They are aquatic creatures, like you said, and love to swim and dive.

[saioke740]

thanks for the reply.. ill have to find a resting area though. i mean i have plastic plants but they are probably too flimsy to support holding the turtle.

im afraid to higher more water though since people told me their turtles died by drowning due to not getting to the surface to get some air quick enough.

[SpotsMama]

The plastic plant doesn't have to be very sturdy to support a turtle that's floating in the water. But if you can find something more substantial, that's great.

On the turtles that drowned, were they RES? Do you know any particulars of the circumstances?

[Nettle]

I used soap dishes with suction cups as my underwater resting area and they love it. They sleep there every night. If you need one immediately, you can always use an upside-down tupperware bowl.

[saioke740]

I used soap dishes with suction cups as my underwater resting area and they love it. They sleep there every night. If you need one immediately, you can always use an upside-down tupperware bowl.

huh never thought about that..

The plastic plant doesn't have to be very sturdy to support a turtle that's floating in the water. But if you can find something more substantial, that's great.

On the turtles that drowned, were they RES? Do you know any particulars of the circumstances?

i see.. i wouldn't know though since my plants are not completely underwater yet.

im not sure.. i just had people told me that in some IRC chat. they didn't say what type of turtle it was.

[SpotsMama]

Without knowing the particulars, I'd be sceptical of the story about aquatic turtles drowning. I know of turtles drowning but not from having water that's too deep. Little turtles especially can get stuck or trapped underwater and drown, for instance they can get stuck in a hole in an ornament, in the intake pipe of a filter if the guard falls off, between the wall of the tank and a dock. You should look at everything in your tank and try to think if it's turtle-safe. If you're worried about anything, go ahead and fix it because you don't want to take any chances.

Go ahead and try raising the water gradually - an inch every couple of days. Keep an eye on your turtles to be sure they're adjusting ok.

[saioke740]

okay great information!

[Bumby's Mom]

I think the problem is more with turtles who have just hatched. I know mine couldn't swim very good at all but they were a mere few days old. I had to put them in the sink with only an inch or two of water and the whole time they were in there I had to set my hand in there for them to hold on to. Every few minutes they would have to stop and hold on to my hand. When I put them in their tank I only filled it about 1/4th of the way for a week then the next week I had it filled half way once I knew they could swim. I read that most turtles stay buried for up to a week before coming out and going to water so I think that may be why they seem so weak when they are hatched in captivity.

[saioke740]

i see..

i have no idea how old my res is but all i know is its a hatchling. i had him for 2 weeks now.

[Bumby's Mom]

At two weeks old (I am sure he is probably older than two weeks but still) he should be able to swim pretty well as long as he has resting places. The plastic plants that have suction cups are AWESOME for hatchliungs since you can stick them on the sides of the tank at whatever lengths you want and they have various resting places. My turtles have had the suction plants since they were a few weeks old and they still love to sleep on them or just rest on them. Also make sure you have a filter that the baby can't get stuck in. I had a Duetto DJ 100 in the babies tank and it is perfect for the little ones. They can not get stuck in it at all but you may have to turn down the strength of the water spray. It was blowing my turtles all over the tank.