General Care Discussion :: New here, need clarification

[Doc_Moore_J]

Greetings all. I'd like to start by saying thank you for such an infomative site. I look forward to being a regular here. I am new to turtle keeping and just need to be certain on a couple things. please excuse my lack of knowledge.

I set my tank up several weeks prior to getting my turtle and browsed a dozen websites, so I thought I was good to go, but I want to make sure my little guy is safe so just asking a few questions to be sure.

1. My main concern is I have not seen him visit the basking area once on his own yet. I have placed him there several times, but he always immediately dives right back into the tank. The tank temp is around 78-80 degrees, and basking is about 91-93. That is about normal correct? Why isnt he basking? I have both UVA and UVB lights. Please look at my pictures and see if that may be the problem, I set it up simlar to some tanks I saw on websites so i thought this would be good.

2. Do they sleep in the water? Several times I have found him in the corner where he likes to hang out with his eyes closed. I usually freak out and grab him to make sure he didnt drown, and that ends up just making him mad at me hahaha. Then I set him in the lights, and he dives back in.

3. Several sites say to feed them in a separate container or tub. But also that they need to be in the water when being fed. Do I fill the tub I am feeding him in up with water prior to feeding? Or can they eat without the water?

I guess thats all I have for now, thanks for any advice you guys can offer me. He seems healthy, active, and appetite intact except he doesnt like the cuttlebone thing I got him. Please see the pics below and give any feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.


This is my set up. He's hiding in the bottom right corner, his favorite spot.


This is the ramp used to get to his basking area, seems easy enough to climb up, plus he has huge claws so i wouldnt think that was the problem.


Top view of tank and his basking area.


This is him, isnt he adorable? Again, any feedback will be appreciated.

[BullDog]

Welcome!
Cute turtle!
I'm a bit concerned about the red splotches on his shell though. It may be a sign of Septicemia, or perhaps shell rot. I would suggest posting a separate thread with pics of his shell DRY, top and bottom.

For your original questions:
1) How long have you had him? It can take RES up to even a month to get used to their basking area. Just give him some time. It could also be that he's basking while you're not around. Some RES are very shy baskers.
Also, since your turtle looks like an adult. 78-80 is a bit warm. 76 would be perfect.

2) Yes, they sleep underwater. They come for air every couple of hours. No need to worry about them

3) For feeding, the basic idea for feeding in a separate tub is to keep the tank water a bit cleaner. It may take a while for your turtle to get used to it.
RES cannot produce saliva, so they need water to eat. So anywhere you choose to feed them, they need access to clean water to swallow.
However, if you have good filtration, you can just feed him in his tank.
How many gallons is his tank? It looks like a good size, but I only see an internal filter. That's not going to cut it in the long run. Canister filters are highly recommended.

Another comment: You have a lot of gravel in there. Gravel certainly makes it harder to clean. Also, make sure all of the rocks are LARGER than his head. If they are smaller, your turtle can and will eat them. This could cause him to become impacted (the rocks get lodged in his digestive track), and it can kill him.

I see you have a glass thermometer and a stick on one. I would say if the stick-on seems accurate, remove the glass one. They can break, and your turtle could eat the lead weights inside.

It looks like you're off to a great start! You've got a great setup, and have done your research!
There's a lot to learn about RES, so be sure to search around the forum, and ask any questions you can't find

[Cim*Forever]

Hey there,

There are quite a few more knowledgeable people than I, but I thought Id give it a whirle anyways.

Firstly, Welcome to Turtle Talk. This forum is so informative and where I learned about the proper care for my turtle.

To answer your questions to the best of my ability:

1) Most turtles take time to warm up to the idea of getting out of the water in new surroundings. Out of water they feel vulnerable. I wouldn't suggest picking him up unless you have too (it tends to stress most turtles out), and I would suggest just letting him get used to his basking area on his own terms. My turtle took a while to get up on the basking dock and he still dives into the water if he hears or feels a loud noise.

2) Yes most turtles sleep in the water, sometimes they may fall asleep on their basking docks though. Turtles will come up for air when they need too, but they can hold their breath for quite a while. Chances are you startled him when you grabbed him in his sleep I know I would be startled

3) It is up to you whether you would like to feed him in his tank or in a separate container. Feeding him in a separate container will keep you tank cleaner for sure. I personally do not feed in a separate container so I am not much help on the matter. However, turtles do not have saliva so they need the water to help them swallow, so they do need to be in water to eat. As for the actual seperate tank set up, someone with more experience in that department will have to assist you.

I would like to say that your tank is looking very good, especially the above tank basking area (I would like to make one for my turtle.) I can't tell by the pictures, but turtles tend to eat gravel and sometimes it compacts and leads to very serious issues (maybe even death). So if the rocks in your tank aren't quite a bit larger then his head you should remove them. Also, rocks collect pieces of waste between the cracks, so removing them will make keeping the tank clean easier.


Edit: Bulldog posted while I was typing, sorry if I repeat any info.

[Nettle]

Ditto on what Bulldog and Cim*Forever said.

If he's shy and always hiding in a corner, he's probably really stressed that he can't get any privacy. A resin decoration like a cave where he can go in or some fake plants (note: that are thick and can't be ripped apart) would help him out.

[SpotsMama]

Hi and Welcome to the Forum. Your little guy really is adorable. Very colorful.

Er...are you positive he's a boy? How long is he (shell length from front to back, not counting the curve in the shell)? Mature male turtles' front toenails are very long - up to an inch long. They are hard to mistake. Either your guy's toenails are bent under his feet (and I don't see how they could be in that photo), or he's not mature yet (so you can't really know whether he's a boy or a girl) or.....he's a girl! You can't tell about a turtle's sex until he/she's at least 4" long. However, something about that face says "girl" to me...but I could be wrong.

Here's some suggestions and answers to questions:

Un-asked for comment: The gravel on the bottom of the tank is probably a big hazzard. If gravel is small enough that a turtle can swallow it (and they can swallow things almost a big as their heads), they will and it can stop them up with sometimes disasterous results. As long as the stones are bigger than his head, they're ok. However, any sort of gravel on the bottom of a tank makes it harder to keep clean. Most of us turtle keepers don't put anything on the floor of a tank than a few decorations and large river rocks.

1. Is your guy still pretty new? When they are young or new, they are often shy about basking and eating and won't let you see them doing it. When they get older and more confident they will bask and eat in front of you. Sometimes a shy turtle will only bask when you're not around. You can tell if yours is doing this by putting something (like a few pellets) on the basking platform, then going away and coming back later. If the pellets have been moved, then you know he's been up there. The ramp looks fine to me. Is the surface rough enough that he can grip it easily? The basking temperature is fine. On the lights, what is the brand and strength of your UVB bulb? Some bulbs are irritating to turtle eyes and make them reluctant to bask. What is your water temperature? The basking area needs to be at least 10 degrees warmer than the water to motivate the turtle to get up and bask.

2. They sleep in the water. Perfectly normal. Make sure his lights are all off at night time so he can have a regular cycle of light and dark. A turtle can hold his breath underwater for quite awhile. When he needs air, he will slowly rise to the surface, take a snif, then slowly sink back down. They can drown, however, if they get stuck in something underwater and can't get loose.

3. They can't eat unless they are in water so yes, you do need to put water in the feeding container when you feed him. It doesn't have to be terribly deep but he'll like it if he can float in it.

On the cuttlebone - give him some time. When his body craves calcium - and turtles need a lot of calcium - he'll nibble on it.

edit: Well, by the time I finished my post, everybody else had already chimed in, so mine is pretty repetitive. I guess it's good that we're all so consistent!

[Doc_Moore_J]

Thank you everybody for the responses. KNowing basking will take time and they sleep underwater were my biggest concerns, until Bulldog mentione dhis spots, please check out the other thread I made concerning his spots.

Thanks again for the warm welcome. I appreciate the comments.

To answer some of your questions. The tank is 55 gallon. Its shell is about 7" long, and to be honest I dont knwo if it is a make or female, just assumed male cause of the fat nub tail and long claws. Wouldnt matter to me either way. I will lower his tank temp a couple degrees and see if that helps. Plus have been hearing nothing but bad about the gravel. Most of it is large at least the size of his head, but I will take most of it out. I got many flat black rocks that are 3 times his head size. I will get more of those.

[SpotsMama]

Doc, I saw more photos in another post and - please make my apologies to your turtle (what is his name by the way?) - he is most definitely a boy.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Gravel is a misunderstood concept in the turtle world. Many pet store people have turtles with gravel and they've never had any problems. But all it takes is one good one lodged inside, and it will require surgery and most likely result in death.

Since you've had gravel in there, keep an eye out, he could continue poo-ing out gravel for months ... There's a sticky on this subject.

I don't see much of a filter on your tank. What kind of filter are you using? For that sized tank, you'll be needing a large filter, probably a canister filter, that is rated to change out 3-5 times the number of gallons per hour.

[marisa]

I wouldn't worry about the red on the shell being septicemia. I've seen this on a few other RES, one of which was on the cover of a book. He's a cutie, and I must say he has an interesting beak---I haven't seen that many with such a pointed lower area (don't freak and think there's something wrong, it's most likely unique to him or hasn't been smoothed out by what he was eating before you got him).

If you feed him in a separate container, you can use tank water (so it will be the same temp) and add fresh water to the tank (a mini partial water change). You don't need to fill up the container. I used to just have enough to cover the shell so my RES could stand there and grab the food easily. If he's shy or initially since it's a new experience, he may not go for eating out of his tank, though.

[Doc_Moore_J]

Hey everybody, thanks again for all the comments. And you were totally right, I think he is a shy basker. When I got home this morning, I made certain to be very quiet and I peaked around the corner and sure enough he was basking. As soon as he saw me he dove back in the water though ahahha. I have actually caught him up there twice today, so that makes me a lot more comfortable. He still hasnt nibbled on the cuttlebone that much yet, should I put it up in his basking area, or let it float around like it is now? I'll try to sneak a picture of him basking he looks so cute all stretched out like that. As far as his beak goes, most likely it is due to what he has been eating, if you looked at my other thread you will see he didnt come from ideal conditions. Maybe he will wear it down mucnhing on some cuttlebone, if he ever takes a liking to it Thanks again all, for the advice, and the warm welcome.

[BullDog]

The cuttlebone floating in the water is just fine.
Some people do half of the bone at a time (with the hard backing picked off), or head sized pieces. Also, some people clip it to the side of a tank with a veggie clip, so it doesn't float around.

Just keep some fresh stuff available in his tank, and with luck, he'll warm up to it

[Doc_Moore_J]

Hey everybody,
Just wanted to drop in and say hi. Buddy is doing great. I was able to scrub off several of the spots on him. Some under the shell, and some seemed to be pretty stuck though. I am wondering how often do they shed thier scutes (spl??) shell. Now that he is in a healthy environment, I figure once he sheds once, he will look brand new. I also followed all o fyour advice and removed the gravel. He seems to be eating just slightly less, I hope I did not remove it too late, although I removed it the morning after you told me too, so I hope he didnt munch too much on the first couple days. Here is a shot of the new set up:

Every rock in there now is 2-3x the size of his head, and to be honest, I think it looks a lot better this way now anyways, so thanks again for that. He is basking for a few hours a day now so that fear is long gone. He loves it. Overall he seems happy and healthy. Hope all of yours are the same.

[megcornell]

That's a great improvement on the set up! I agree it looks better too .
If Buddy did eat some gravel just keep an eye out and make sure you scoop it out as he poops so he can't re-eat it.
As for the cuttlebone, I find my turtles vary about their cravings. My female constantly eats it but my male has only had a few nibbles since I got him in January. I think it may be a sex related thing... males just don't seem to need or want cuttlebone as much. As a result, I periodically dust my male's pellets with a calcium supplement.

[RESnTX]

Ohhh I think the new setup looks much nicer. You did a great job!