General Care Discussion :: New Owner Telling Stories

[cleopold]

Hi All,

A week ago, I got 2 baby RES who about 1 in long and finally got them in a decent set up. They are in a 20 gallon tank with heater and filter. I have a floating dock for them. I have a UVA light, but still need a UVB light.

Yesterday was the first day they were in their new habitat and I worried about them a lot. Honu looked like he might get trapped by the dock- for some reason he wanted to get air at the side of the dock, which is only a few milimeters of space. I think he got over trying to do that.

Spazz did some exploring and likes to grab onto the filtration tube and rest there. I guess that's okay. I didn't like it when she was hanging by the heater and touching it. The thing is hot- I almost burned myself touching it. I hope that her instincts will keep her safe from that thing. Shouldn't the turtles avoid the heater or are they attracted to the warmth? The ambient temp of the tank is ok at 78 F, so I don't think they are cold.

Despite no heat light, the turts like the dock a lot. Spazz was sitting on the dock and slapped her head with her hand and then slid back into the water. It was really cute.

The nicest thing was I think I spied one of my turtles eating some of the Reptomin. They haven't eaten anything in 6 days and I was starting to worry. Maybe now that they are in a comfortable home, they will start eating.

So I am at work right now & I keep thinking about my turtles. I miss them. Is that wierd?

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my babies.

--Caroline

[virusspawn]

No, thats normal, i love my turtles too, lol

You should try and feed them romaine lettuce, boiled carrots.
Green leafe leetuce is good too

Are they acting dull and sleeping alot, not swimming?

[Threepwood]

It's totally normal to be worried to the point of insanity. When I first got my RES (say, my first actual pet in about ten years), I was very concerned about doing everything exactly correct. So that's totally normal. Right? >.>

Also, it does take a while for them to get comfortable enough to really start eating.

[trotsky]

im pretty sure turtles enjoy sitting by the heater as its where the water is most warm. My turtle likes to rest on the filter tube also, shes too heavy for it though and i have to put it back on a few times a day

[cleopold]

Thanks for the replies. As for the question on their behavior, I think they are sleeping more than swimming. Spazz likes to sleep on the dock even though I haven't bought a heat lamp yet. She's not basking obviously- I guess she is lounging. Honu is more reserved and will hang out at the bottom of the tank more.

But their behavior is hard to judge. When they see me they get scared and do a lot more swimming. I have to set something up so that they can't see me looking at them. That way I'd get a better sense of their behavior.

What is normal activity for a baby RES. Should they be swimming a lot? What can I do if they are lethargic?

Thanks for supporting me for being a worried parent. They are such precious creatures. I want them to be happy.

[trotsky]

From what ive read it will be a while before the turtles get used to your presence. The way to a turtles heart is through its stomach, once they associate you with food they will be more open to you being around. Ive seen lots of people recommend feeding them in a separate tank so they assume you being around and handling them means its dinner time. They will also begin to associate your fingers with food and a good nip wont be uncommon

They have distinct personalities, some will be friendly and sit with you or others will always be frightened or wary of you. Its perfectly normal for babies to be afraid of humans. It can take up to two years before the will be totally comfortable with you or it may take much less. I have no experience with baby turtles myself as i adopted a 21 year old RES but im considering getting a baby YBS in a few weeks. Everything ive written ive picked up from reading since i got her.

My turtle will only sleep when the lights go out and is active for the whole time they are on. There is no set time she likes to bask or swim, it just depends on her mood i suppose, today for example she hasnt basked at all while yesterday she spent maybe 3/4 hours basking.

Your other baby is probably basking when you arent around. Try sneaking into the room and see if you can catch them, although he will probably slide off as soon as he sees you. Even though my turt is comfortable around humans she stills gets scared if they are a few people in the room and slides down from her basking area if the place gets to crowded. Its natural for them to behave in that manner, a defence mechanism i suppose.

Im sure someone more knowledgeable will be able to help you more but i thought i throw my 2 cents worth in

[kmichael55]

Spazz likes to sleep on the dock even though I haven't bought a heat lamp yet. She's not basking obviously- I guess she is lounging.

You said you had a UVA lamp, but not a UVB lamp yet... the UVA is the heat lamp, it should be close enough that the temp of the basking area is 10 degrees above the water temp.

[SpotsMama]

On the water heater - what brand of heater is it? Assuming it's a submersible type of heater, then the hot parts of it should be under water. When it's under water, the heat dissipates and it won't burn the turtle. However, if the part that heats up is above the water line, then it will get extremely hot and can cause a burn.

Here's a tip on the turtle dock. Turtle docks are good and lots of people (and turtles) like them and use them. However, little turtles like to squeeze themselves into tight spaces and a little one can get stuck between the dock and the wall of the tank. This can be dangerous and result in drowning. To make it safe, turn the plastic frame upside down so the horizontal bar is at the top (out of the water) and then remove the suckers from the part of the frame that's at the borrom (under the water). This makes the dock a lot more flexible and the little turtle can get loose if he needs to.

That's nice that you're thinking about your turtles a lot. It's not weird - it shows you care!