General Care Discussion :: HELP FRED IS LOST....AGAINNNNNNNN

[dcsocal]

So apprently I have a Houdini on my hands. For the second time in about 3 weeks Fred manage to climb out of his egg crate covered tank. Im assuming he survived the fall because he is no where in my room. But I can't find him and neither can my family members. I feel so bad Just when I scored an xp3 for 50 dollars and hav eeverything completely set up, this happens. How long can RES last out of water? What role does the temperature play? How much distance can they cover. I left some bowls of water out around the house, in case he goes looking for water. Thanks guys.

[Love of Animals]

Gonna have to put bells on Fred the wanderer. Res can last a long time out of water. Make sure all doors are closed so he doesn't fall down stairs or change rooms. I don't know how big Fred is but check in every crevice, corner to see if he's there. They can squeeze into some surprising places. They can cover quite a bit of distance. Maybe put something smelly out like tuna and make sure the room is dim and quiet to encourage him to come out. To much activity and he'll stay hidden. He probably hid under something. Check everywhere and then check again. Good Luck!

[marisa]

What does he do---lift the egg crate and climb out?

He might very well still be in your room---check absolutely everywhere. If you've got clothes or papers on the floor, check pockets and under them too (I remember a long time ago that someone found their turtle under a newspaper on the floor). If the room is quiet, you may hear him. I would, however, keep a light near the water and not have the room really dim---the darkness will encourage him to sleep, especially if he's found a spot where he feel safe.

Unless it's really cold, the temp shouldn't be a problem. Dry air would make things more uncomfortable for him, but won't, up to a point, hurt him.

[acf]

just a thought, but what if you put the basking light pointing down towards a spot on the floor (or on something low to the ground that can take the heat, such as a piece of scrap wood) i know that my RES love their heat lamp and would climb mountains to get under it. if you set the lamp up with a bowl of water in close proximity it may also encourage him out if he is still in the same room.

also, when i clean their tank and put them in a laundry basket with a towel i find they often gravitate towards the corners of the basket and hide under the towel. perhaps double check corners, (all corners, corners of the room, corners by the bed, dressers, etc.) and under objects that would make caves or 'dens' that would offer the same or similar coverage to that of the towel.

ive never lost my RES' but am just going on the patterns and routines ive noticed in watching them.

good luck and keep us posted!

[Karawr]

Mine recently got out of his tank and wound up in an air vent that didn't have a cover on it. If you have any of those, make sure to check in there!

Here are some tips..
- Mine freaks out when I shake his food container, try that...
- Leave food out and see if it disappears/moves... at least then you'll know he's somewhere near!
- Check every corner and under every little thing, even a small pile of papers
- dim lighting and making things quiet (as someone else said)
- just keep looking!


Hope you find him, I was so freaked out when my turtle escaped!

[Love of Animals]

acf that's a good idea with the basking light.

[regalesse]

i know one of my turtles was let out of its tank by one of my children. the turtle survived for four days without food or water or good light and the temp in the room was in the 60's the whole time. When my children finally told me what they had done i had to search an extremely messy toy room to find the little hatchling. it took a whole bottle of pedialyte, 90 degree water mised to 50/50 and emmersion 1/4 inch of the mix for four hours before i got any response from the little one. she is still alive and has suffered no ill effects from it so far.

[dcsocal]

Found him!!!! I had a bunch of tank stuff under a den like tv stand. He was in the top of a critter keeper lid that was under the tv. He looked like a big rock under there and was kind of camouflaged. He was a bit sluggish at first and seemed a little skinny but after about 10 minutes he pepped right up. I threw a bunch of food in there and immediately started going after it, then I knew he was okay luckily he was in an area with a lot of warm electronics and carpet underneath. Thanks for all the help guys! I love my fred! Lol my family was so worried.

[Joao]

Awesome! Glad you found him.

Now let's figure out how to make your tank escape proof. Post some pics of problem area on the tank.

[Miss Tee]

some clips on the egg-crate part?