General Care Discussion :: Turtle out of water

[Cats]

How long can an RES survive out of water?

I'm new to the forum but have owned RES for about 9 or 10 yrs. I've been having some trouble with my female (male attacked her and bit a chunk out of her foot). She's been prescribed antibiotics, sun treatment and extra feeding.

The above question is out of curiosity.

Thanks
Cats...

[missibsu]

Usually when there is an external drug applied, they recommend leaving a turt out of water for a short period of time to soak in. For other reasons a turtle may need to be dry tanked and left out of the water for a longer period of time. In these instances, the turtle is usually still receiving short swims so not to become dehydrated. It's also possible to keep the turt in a dry tank with some damp towels, and the turtle will go to sleep under them. This is usually done for traveling.

Any idea on what caused the aggression? And what are you doing to prevent it in the future?

[Cats]

The vet gave me an oral antibiotic (Baytril) to give to Tortuga. He suggested polysporin ointment for her leg that was bitten and some tincture of iodine for a chew mark on her shell above her head.

The aggression is mating aggression. It happened once before about 3 yrs ago, and subsided in the fall (though at the time I thought it was when I started feeding them more food more often). He had been attacking her shell in one spot (above her right front leg) and always in that spot. That has healed nicely. It didn't recurr until this year for some reason, and I'm not sure why. I haven't changed anything.

This year, Diego grabbed her right front leg and took a chunk out of her skin. I'm either going to a) rehome Diego, or trade for another female, or b) divide their tank. I have them in a 100 gallon aquarium, about 2/3 filled with water. I had Tortuga first (was a rehome...but that's another story) and got Diego from Jeff Hathaway of Sciensational Snakes when Jeff sold me the aqaurium.

Today I went out and got a pond liner to build a sunning pool on my deck for them while I'm outside gardening. The vet reminded me that the sun will help her heal quicker too. For now, Torguga is in a rough tote bin so I can get easy access to her. Diego has the luxery suite until I decide what to do. I've had Tortuga for about 9 years (and she was about 6 inches when I got her) and I got Diego a 5 yrs later, already full grown.

Thanks for your input
Cats...

[missibsu]

Sounds like your tank might be a bit small, which could be another reason for aggression. Rule of thumb that is good to follow is 10 gallons per inch of shell. Instead of dividing your current tank, what are the possibilities of adding a second tank? Or upgrading to a larger tank?

[Cats]

I'm fairly certain it's hormonal aggression. I've watched him do the voodoo you move to her and when she doesn't respond he starts nudging and biting. A second tank would be possible if I could find another used set up. I just couldn't afford a new one.

I wonder why a reptile guy wouldn't tell me about the 10 gallon rule.

Huh...I just looked at his website again, and he has RES listed as "unsuitable as pets". That's helpful.

:/
Cats...

http://catsphotogallery.infohost.no-ip. ... ortuga.JPG

[missibsu]

Jen is from Canada as well, and when she jumps on, she might be able to help you with some places to get used set ups. I know that two that I recommend frequently are www.craigslist.org and www.freecycle.com, but I don't know how much those extend out of the US. You can check them though.

[jenaero]

I've never bought used supplies but you can check the classifieds in the paper or check out some garage sales. You'd be amazed at the stuff people practically give away. I haven't had any luck looking for things like that online because it all seems to be in the US.

[missibsu]

Thanks Jen...I wasn't sure if those sites were good in Canada as well.

[samandnelly]

It's also possible to keep the turt in a dry tank with some damp towels, and the turtle will go to sleep under them.

Ha...I heard that...and me and Mr. Sammie and Nelly went on a road trip, and true-Nelly did sleep, but Sam got out and scratched everything and ran around being a little spazz. And that woke up Nelly. lol