General Care Discussion :: help. my res buries himself!!

[baanoo]

hi there, i have an almost 3 years old res. he was indoor suring winter, but now i free him to yard, and he buries himself in the garden! and sometimes he comes in and hide in cabinets. i see he does not like to bask, and runs away from sun.
my res named gigili, he eats well, but i don't know is he ok or not?
is this normal?

[SpotsMama]

He may be feeling vulnerable - wants to hide from big predators. Three years old is actually pretty young for a RES. The young ones tend to be more worried about being eaten.

Tell us more about his outdoor setup. Is it secure? How do you keep him from wandering off? Does he have a pond to swim in?

[Kemul]

The temperature outside could be too hot, so he buries himself to keep cool.
That is normal. My turtles like to bury themselves too if they escape while
basking outside.

If you want to free your turtle in the yard for days, I highly suggest providing
some water in a tub or, better, a pond. RES is aquatic, it would be best if it can
swim while not basking. A healthy RES will bask when they feel the need, usually
when nobody is watching closely. Otherwise, they will slide into water
instinctively.

[VanishingReality]

Otherwise, they will slide into water
instinctively.

Or cannonball, mine takes that route. But he also likes a good splash to get our attention.

[baanoo]

thanks for the answers. i have no pond there, so i free him for 2-4 hours to bask and then put him in his aquarium. i see his shell is brown than green, i thought he need some sunlight. because here we hadn't have sunlight for months. the sky was cloudy
i will try to make him a pond. but i never let him to be there all night long maybe the cats catch him?
i'm not experienced enough to determine what hee needs, but tehre is no other who can help me. i've lost another baby res despite of veterinarian treatments. in my country, it's just two years we have this kind of pets.

[twyangzii]

Baanoo - I think even if cloudy the UVA/B will still comes through, so as long as the weather isn't harsh like snowing or hailing, it'll do fine to let them out .

[SpotsMama]

Baanoo, what part of the world do you live in?

[theartbook35]

My little girls used to bury themselves under the substrate and flat rocks, when I had the crappy set up. Since we upgraded to a more secure environment, they stopped that completely.

Your other option would be to just get an indoor UV bulb. As long as your turtle has a proper basking area, to soak up the UV rays, your turtle will be fine.

[baanoo]

i live in middle east.

[marisa]

Do you have a rainy season where you are?

The Middle East I'm thinking of has some very strong sunlight...