General Care Discussion :: New RES owner with Turtle that cant swim?

[Loranbama]

Hi! Thank you for providing this great forum. I was pretty clueless before I found this place.

We were given an adult RES, (5 inches) a couple of months ago. We have to keep him inside due to the colder weather. I just foujnd out that he needs a bigger tank. We have him in a 10 gallon tank. As soon as it stays warm enough outside he will have a 90 gallon tank.

We have been keeping him in just a few inches of water. (about 5 inches)
I read that they like a lot of water so yesterday I filled his tank almost to the top (about four inches from the top) We put him back in and he sank straight to the bottom. He would try to get back to the top but struggled and had to stand on his tippie toes to get his nose above the water. He couldnt seem to swim or even stay afloat.

Is it possible that he doesnt know how to swim or could there be something wrong that is preventing him form swimming?

He has always been on pellets but I have bought the dried shrimp and give him that as a treat. After reading your feeding instructions I now know that I am feeding him way too much. I feed him a few times everyday, about 5 pellets each time and a few shrimp in between. (Maybe he is too fat to swim!) I am going to cut way back right away along with adding veggies to his diet.

One more question, could he share a tank with a few large goldish? (They are all at least 4 inches) If not I have a shallow kiddie pool that he can have.

He is in a heated environment. With a place for basking in natural sunlight. He doesnt use it though. I am picking up a UVB light this weekend. Are there any suggestions as to what brand or type?

Thanks again!

[Loranbama]

Uh oh I just read something about a yellow bellied turtle. This turtle has a yellow belly also. Does that mean he isnt a RES? I feel like a big dummy!

I remembered something else I was curious about. When he was in the deep water a dark thingie came out of his tail and went back in. First time we had seen him do that. What is it and why did he stick it out there?

[missibsu]

Swimming problems that I am most familiar with revolve around not being able to submerge, instead of the other way around.

I will say that turtles who have grown up with shallow water can be acclimated to deeper water by adding it gradually.

Now that you know you are feeding too much, you can cut back and start adding veggies. He may not take to them right away, but keep trying.

I would not put the goldfish in with your turtle. Even though they are large, that is not to say that they won't become a snack. Even if it means eating them in small chunks, which would be disgusting. Goldfish are not a healthy snack either.

[missibsu]

Uh oh I just read something about a yellow bellied turtle. This turtle has a yellow belly also. Does that mean he isnt a RES? I feel like a big dummy!

I remembered something else I was curious about. When he was in the deep water a dark thingie came out of his tail and went back in. First time we had seen him do that. What is it and why did he stick it out there?

Does your turtle have red ears? If so, then it is probably RES, my RES has a yellow belly too, with dark spots. It is possible that he could also be a cross breed.

The thing that you saw coming out, was his penis. He was flashing you, otherwise known as fanning.

[jenaero]

He could also be having trouble swimming because the tank is incredibly small for a turtle his size

[Loranbama]

Yes, he does have red ears. Thank you for your response!

Yes, I just found out the tank is way too small. We are putting him outside very soon.

I am going ot slowly add more water to help him learn. It just seems like he needs to be more bouyant. He just drops like a rock.

Thanks again, I will keep you all updated and i am sure I will have many more questions.