General Care Discussion :: Lost and Found

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:45 pm   Lost and Found

Hi everyone, I have been reading your site and the information here is great. I have been looking for other posts with similar problems, but have found none that really answer my question, so here goes.
My baby RES decided to go for a walk when i was cleaning out its tank th other night. It escaped from the dish I was keeping it in. This was Wednesday night. I was sure it was gone for good or that the dog ate it. I searched all over the house and tore it apart looking. In anycase ,after all that, it reappeared friday morning by my couch. my daughter discovered it while the cat was sniffing it curiously. It was alive and looked unharmed. We placed it back in the tank, now freshly cleaned, and it swam right over ate its food and all looked well. Until last night...it buried itself in the gravel ( yes i know some of you are thinking get rid of it, but dont worry there is no way this stuff can fit in its mouth). It has been there since, not sure if it came out at all during the night, but it is still there now.
Is there any reason it would be doing this. Should i move it or pull it out ... Sorry for all the "it" but again its a baby and i have no idea if it is a boy or girl. Anyhoo any help would be appreciated. Thanks
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 7:00 pm   

Sounds very odd to me....Has it moved at all? I'd gently lift him out and check him closely, he may be injured, possibly his shell. How warm is the water?
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grey goose
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Post Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 7:32 pm   

Well I took your advice. We pulled it out and presented some food. It swam right over and ate it up no probs. Its been about ten minutes and it is still swimming around. I did an intense once over when we found it and it looked fine nothing damaged, so i guess we will just wait and see if it does it again. Thanks for your reply.
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 8:02 pm   

Maybe he needs a hiding spot.....
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grey goose
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 12:24 pm   

Thanks grey goose for your replies...yes he does have a hiding spot he has an imitaion log that he climbs on and into...this is actually where he buried himself. Since pulling him/her out last night it has continued to swim and walk around and has not gone back to bury itself, so I guess it was just a fluke. Oh well...its always concerning when they do something strange. Thanks for the help. :D
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:45 pm   

Ok so I opened my mouth and the turtle has to prove me wrong. It is buried again...Any ideas...why is it doing this, and should i just keep taking it out...im so confused
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:17 pm   

What are the water temps?? I'm wondering if it's not a hibernation thing.. perhaps? A hiding space is a good thing for turtles especially young ones. What is your setup like?
Carol
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cam722
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:41 pm   

Well there is water..lol and gravel that ramps up to a land area, then up on the "land" area i have a flat basking rock and there are some fake plants around and the imitaion log i mentioned before. I t usually goes in there when its not basking and hangs out...but never buried. Now this is the second time it has gone in there to its usual spot but has partially buried itself there. I can just see the top of its shell. Any ideas?
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:47 pm   

cam722 wrote:What are the water temps?? I'm wondering if it's not a hibernation thing.. perhaps? A hiding space is a good thing for turtles especially young ones. What is your setup like?


Cam may be on to something. What is the water temp?!?
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N4784N R4613
 
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:56 pm   

Its about 75 degrees.
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:00 pm   

My Beaker used to stick his head in the rocks...kind of like an ostrich, until he discovered the coffee mug. But if the water is warm enough, and he is eating, i wouldn't worry. But please post the water temp....
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grey goose
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:01 pm   

For a baby, I'd go a little warmer, say, 76-78...
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grey goose
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Post Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 11:34 pm   

Its hard to say exactly the thermometer is colored in the 75, but not 78, so its around 75 i guess.
Update: Still buried, I guess we shall see what the morning brings. It did eat and play this morning so maybe he will come back out after a good nights sleep.
Thanks for the info...
knestor
 
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Post Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 8:52 pm   

For a turtle as small as yours, it would be good to bump up the temp to 78F...
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
marisa
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Post Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:44 am   

So I thought I would update you all on my turt. I took it out again last night and fed it. It ate no probs swam around and has not gone back. So I think we are ok...again...I hope...lol. Thank you to all who posted I am closely watching the temp and his behavior.
knestor
 
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