General Care Discussion :: New Petco Turtle, help please!

[samagsen]

Hey all, just bought a red eared slider from Petco today. I have the floating basking barge that is connected by two plastic poles suctioned so it can rise and fall with the water level. So far I haven't been observing it 24/7 but I've observed it most of the day and it has just kind of been floating around, doesn't want to eat, and it hasn't basked at all which is my main concern since the turtle was fed this morning. Ill grab her and put her next to the heat lamp just above the floating dock and she will just chill and relax, without really kicking or fighting me, but then when I put her on the dock slowly after letting her relax with the heat she just instantly runs off into the water. She seems to bask in the water with her neck stretched out and legs stretched so Im not sure what to do, Im a novice turtle owner and any advice would really be great as I would like to get her to bask as soon as possible for her health. The water temperature is at 78 degrees farenheit and the basking light is 10 inches away from the floating dock and should provide around 85 degrees. Please advise me on what to do, I really care for her and want to get her to bask. Thanks alot - Sammy

[Tenodera]

lol...if you just got her you gotta let her relax a bit! If you keep fiddling with her she'll become more traumatized. Just leave her alone for a few days once a day drop in a few pellets and leave so she can eat them without you watching her. Turtles are very skittish creatures, especially if they just got taken to a new home.


Kevin

[TXGUY]

Yes,Tenodera ( Kevin) is right , "leave her alone" for a while I know you're glad to have a new pet , but she need to get use to the new home and needs privacy also,
COngrats for your new family member

[SpotsMama]

Welcome to the forum!

Brand new turtles are always very nervous. It may be a week or more before he/she settles enough to bask. Even then, he/she may not bask in front of you. Lots of new turtle owners only know their turtles are basking because when they walk into the room they hear a little "plop". Eventually he/she will bask when you're around but it may be months.

Brand new turtles also usually won't eat for awhile. Some don't eat for a week because they are too nervous.

Try to give him/her some peace and quiet and privacy. Don't pick him/her up unless you absolutely have to. To the little turtle, you look like a great big giant that might want to eat him/her. Eventually though, he/she will learn that you're the one that feeds him/her and then you'll have a friend for life!

[samagsen]

"It may be a week or more before he/she settles enough to bask. Even then, he/she may not bask in front of you. Lots of new turtle owners only know their turtles are basking because when they walk into the room they hear a little "plop". Eventually he/she will bask when you're around but it may be months. " So does that mean that it is essentially ok for her not to bask for a week or more? Ive had her for 2 days now and even when I carry her onto the basking platform she just flies right off and jumps into the water. She constantly wants to escape or just swims into a side of the tank and just keeps kicking her feet and legs at it as if she is trying to swim out of the tank. Im just trying to make sure everything is going as smoothly as I can for my turtle as I really care about her health and I want her to bask for her own safety and health. I have also observed that she often (from the bottom of the tank) stretches her legs out and "stands up" stretching her neck as far as she can which puts her nose above the surface sometimes or just does this underwater. She is also swimming to the surface often for what appears to be her breathing. I just want to make sure everything is fine and she is a normal happy turtle, and above all I want her to be healthy. She has eaten the pellets I gave her this morning so that seemed to be a good sign as there is what I believe to be turtle poop at the bottom of the tank, and I will be feeding her again tomorrow morning. Does her behavior seem normal? She seems to be swimming up to breath quite often. Only thing is the basking, which is my main concern. Thanks all for your help, advice, and comments, please keep them coming! - Sammy

[turtleman123]

how big is your tank and what is the water depth

[samagsen]

Tank is 20 gallons and water depth Im not sure but its perfect for my turtle at the moment as when she stands up and stretches to put her nose over the water, its just right. Ive left the heat lamp on from 845 AM - 11 PM and no basking or at least no sign of basking and I am in my room quite a bit, no plop noises either when i enter the room meaning she isnt basking while im gone im pretty sure.

[SpotsMama]

Everything you described sounds perfectly normal. Don't try to put her on the basking dock - she'll be happier if she gets up there on her own when she's ready. If you put her up there it will probably just scare her.

You can cut back some on the time for the lights - it doesn't hurt to leave them on so long from time to time but the usual maximum time is around 12 hours.

Give her a few more days on the basking. After a turtle settles down, the most important thing you can do to encourage basking is make sure the temperatures are right. Turtles will seek out heat so you should keep the temp on the basking platform around 10 degrees warmer than the water (water around 78 degrees, basking platform around 88 or 90 degrees). That way the turtle will want to get up and bask because it's warmer. Different turtles have different preferences as to basking temperature - some like it warmer and some like it cooler. You'll need to experiment to find just the perfect temp for your turtle. You make it warmer or cooler by positioning the heat bulb a little closer or a little further away. I assume you have a termometer for measuring water and air temperature.

Another way people can tell whether their turtles are basking is to put something on the basking platform and check after the turtle has been alone for awhile to see if it's been moved. You could put, for exaple, a couple of pellets on the platform and see if they mysteriously move while you're not there.

[Adopt_Me_Sliders]

I don't want to get jumped on for this, but have you ever considered adopting?

[Tenodera]

Erm he already bought his turtle..

[Adopt_Me_Sliders]

Erm he already bought his turtle..

Uh, I know! For future reference.

[samagsen]

Thanks alot for all the replies and all the advice, I really appreciate it big time. Ill keep you all posted, Spotsmama Im going to try and maybe move the lamp a little bit closer since it is about a foot or so away from the tank. Ill also try and put something on the dock to check if she ever is basking, thanks for that little tip, that will really tell me whether shes basking or not. No thanks on the adopted turtles - Sammy

[samagsen]

Also, how often should I be feeding my turtle? She seems to be hungry all the time as I have fed her then seen her eating her own poop, prompting me to feed her more. - Sammy

[Tenodera]

Oh no! Don't give in to her begging! lol

Since its a hatchling feed it once per day the amount that would fit inside her head as if it was hollow (exclude the neck!)

[samagsen]

My turtle isnt necessarily a hatchling since I bought it from Petco, they didnt know how old she was but younger than a year old but older than a couple of months. Id estimate maybe from top of shell to bottom of her shell maybe 5 inches, so just feed her once a day?