General Care Discussion :: New stock tank/weird behavior

[Thismegan]

We put our 2 year old res in a new stock tank I believe is 120 gallons maybe 150, I can't remember, and he was in a lot smaller (maybe 40 gallon) glass aquarium. (my husband knows the sizes, i cant remember) So basically, he went from small glass, to huge stock tank. It's got a ramp, dry ground he can walk on, the perfect set up.....

BUT, it's been a week now, and he is so weird acting. He will not bask or come up on the dry ground. I have been taking him out every morning and putting him in his glass tank to eat. He eats very little. He use to bask all day long, eat lots every morning. Is he still just freaked by a new environment? He is so skiddish, we come in the room and he goes straight to the bottom. He use to have a hood over the glass aquarium, so now there is nothing over him, to where we can grab him--and so maybe he knows that?

I just am wondering if we should be concerned, or if this is normal for them and he will start basking after getting use to it. I'm just worried he's going to start having problems if he doesn't start basking, or eating more. We checked the temp and it's right on, for in the water, and outside...so what is the deal?
Thanks

[octpusgirl8]

He's probably just taking a while to settle in. It's a big change for him. Just try to give him privacy. You might want to stop taking him out to feed him, that's probably adding to his stress if he wasn't used to that before.

[steve]

And check the accessibility of the basking area as well as the basking temps.

[laurapa]

We just moved Oliver from a 10 gal (!) glass tank to a 50 gal stock tank, and it did take him a while to adjust. He hesitated to bask. And if he happened to be basking when we just walked by, he would panic and go hide under water for a long time. Now he basks more than he ever did before because we are able to keep the water and basking temps more optimal. I would say it took him about a week to get back to his normal turtle self.

I have found that having a kind of loud filter for Oliver has helped a lot. Since he's on the floor now, he is more sensitive to vibrations as we walk around (and he is not used to how tall we stand over him), so a loud-ish filter creates some white noise that seems to soothe him a lot.

Check to make sure that there is enough difference between the water and basking temps to encourage basking. If there is, then maybe he just needs a little more time to get used to his new place.

I hope your little one comes around!

[marisa]

Put something around the stock tank end where he basks. I use a large piece of cardboard as a screen around one basking area in a stock tank.

[Thismegan]

Thanks for all the advise and responses. I did see him basking today, but I am not sure how long he had been out of the water. Regardless, it's a good sign that he got out of the water on his own....because he hasn't even been doing that at all. I also, did not take him out to feed today, and he ate more food. So maybe you are right about not taking him out for awhile and let him get use to the new home first.

I'm glad to know someone had a similar experience. He is now back in a closet area, more tucked away. Before he was out in our living room, watching every thing we did....and NEVER minded. So, now, when we walk in his closet area, he freaks and hides. I am hoping day by day he'll get more use to it.
Do you think it'd help if we stayed out of the room entirely as much as possible? Or will this just make him even more use to people NOT being around? (maybe that is a stupid question...just curious)

Thanks again for all the help

[laurapa]

^I was wondering about this with Oliver, too. I thought maybe we should put him somewhere quieter. But actually, he has become more gregarious than ever and he's right in our living room (in the corner, but right by the couch). He comes to say hi now when we walk by.

I agree that if he has good places to hide without feeling too vulnerable, keeping him in a room with people is fine.