General Care Discussion :: RES eating his floating dock?

[LittleRedGinger]

Hi all,

So I'm fairly new to being a turtle parent. I got a RES hatchling in January and I recently moved him into a 55 gallon tank. He has the same floating dock that he has had since I've had him, but recently he has started trying to eat the dock. He sits on top of the dock and bites at it, seeming to pull pieces off. I've read that this may be signs of a calcium deficiency but he gets cuttlebone. Just wondering why he might be doing this and what I can do to get him to stop. Also, just wondering about the best way to keep water safe for my little guy, meaning nitrates, nitrites and pH. Everything tests at safe levels, except for my nitrites are a little high. I've had him since January and he was 1.5" at the time. He's now just under 3", and I'm hoping for advice on how much to feed him, and what varieties work best. Any age estimates based on his size? Thanks everyone!

[Moose]

Hey LRG! I use the calcium block that dissolves in the water over time and my turtles love to eat it too I think it's called dr.turtle, they aren't too fond of the cuttlebone. I wanna estimate your turle might be between 2 and 3 years old just going off if my turtles when I first got them were the size of a quarter and now I'll have had them for 4 years come September and they're almost at 4inches I know at petsmart and other pet stores you can get a product called Moss Balls whose many purpose is to balance out the nitrates in the water of your aquarium! I've been using them for about a year now and the work great! What kind of food are you feeding your turtle now? I give my turtles a variety of foods such as, romaine lettuce, blueberries & sweet potato to aid in shedding, Rosie red feeder fish, a little bit of shrimp about once a month and I give them the Zoo Med aquatic turtle food for growth hope this helps

[steve]

RES are a bit destructive by nature. I don't think it has to do with calcium (we also don't really recommend Dr. Turtle or any of those other white turtle blocks) but I would try a different type of dock or ramp.

[Moose]

Is it bad for them Steve?

[steve]

The thinking is that dr. turtles will make any potential bacteria stronger and more resistant to the meds. That's always the risk when dealing with fungus and bacteria.

[LittleRedGinger]

Thanks guys! You really think he might be that old?! I've had him about 7 months now and he's gone from about and inch and a half to almost three inches. I've been feeding him Tetramin Baby pellets and green leaf lettuce. If he really is that old I'm concerned I might be overfeeding him; I feed him everyday, but I also assumed he was under a year old. How much food and how often would be recommended based on his size/age? I want to make sure that he's getting the nutrition he needs, but not too much! Thanks for your help!

[CactusJohn5]

yeah, try and cut back on the protein, maybe once or twice a week, even if he isn't that old, 2x a week on protein is PLENTY for a growing RES.

[Kado]

My res has grown to about that size too, but I have only had him for about 4 months. He seems to be pyramiding just a bit, but his shell is smooth. I've cut back on his pellets a little bit, but maybe I should start feeding him pellets every other day too. Just wasnt sure if that would be ok or not because most sites say not to do that till they are about a year old.

[steve]

How much food and how often would be recommended based on his size/age? I want to make sure that he's getting the nutrition he needs, but not too much! Thanks for your help!

You can still give him pellets everyday, just scale back the amount and start offering other foods.

[Moose]

The thinking is that dr. turtles will make any potential bacteria stronger and more resistant to the meds. That's always the risk when dealing with fungus and bacteria.

Thanks a bunch Steve! I removed and and my water cleared up and Herman's sore is healing tremedously, still seeing a vet on Tuesday!