General Care Discussion :: Scaredy Turtles

[Nettle]

My dad one day decided that getting turtles for our miniature pond would be a good idea. He got them with a one-inch shell and pellets. He also got giant goldfish. For two months they were ok; always sliding into the water when we would walk past.

But when we brought them indoors for the harsh winter, they never got over being deathly afraid of us (it's been 7 months). The slightest movement in their room (even the dog) makes them frantically run off of the platform and into their cave. Picking them up and out of their tank for monthly scrubbing time makes them scared for the next two days (and I'm so nice to them ^_^). What should I do to make them more accustomed to people?

[TheComputerGremlin]

It's actually very typical. There are people on here that say that their turtle eventually gets accustomed to them, but then they'll walk in the room with a heavy box, and boom! back in the water. My Mikey still dives in. It's natural, you're a predator to them. You can try going in the room more often so they get used to your footsteps, but don't ever expect full acclimation.

[SpotsMama]

When they're tiny they are usually very skittish. If they learn to associate you with food, though, they will probably warm up considerably. Do you feed them daily? You might try tempting them to eat from your fingers. Also, however much you feed them daily, you can divide the amount into two or three small feedings and drop some in the tank every time you walk by. Just be careful not to increase the total amount they get per day - you don't want to overfeed.

My turtle was very skittish when he was tiny, then little by little he got friendlier and friendlier. Now he's 5 years old and instead of running away from me he rushes towards me when I come over to the tank. He swims into my hand so I can pick him up (he likes to get out of the tank sometimes and walk around outside when the weather is nice.) Sometimes, he even follows me around when he's out of the tank. It just takes time.

[daniella]

I've had my turtle since September. He's still only a baby. It took a few months for him to get used to me. His tank is by my desk so whenever I sit down at my computer he swims over (probably begging for food) lol but he never used to do that. Before when he would be basking and I sat at my desk, he'd dive into the water. Now he just sits there and looks at me. Once they realize you're the person who feeds them every day, they will begin to warm up to you more.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Skittishness (turts being very jumpy) is very common. One thing that helps is to hand-feed them all their food. You can divide up their daily food portion into, say 4 or 5 piles, then every time you come into the room, feed them one of the piles. If they associate you with food, they will eventually become less afraid & should warm up to you.

Give them a small treat any time that you have to pick them up too. And when I say small, I mean small. You can give them a piece of lettuce or carrot. Food is food and RES's honestly never stop eating. Occasionally hand-feed them a small piece of dried krill or shrimp when you come over to their tank.

Hand-feeding works as a great tool for them to understand that YOU provide tasty treats. The way to a turtle's heart is thru his/her stomach....!

[marisa]

Just curious, but why do your turtles need to be scrubbed monthly?

Personally, if they're going to be going back out into the pond when the weather's warm enough, I think the fact that they've remained skittish is a positive thing in terms of being able to quickly hide from possible predators.

[Nettle]

Actually it's the tank that needs scrubbing (I should have clarified). It doesn't get horribly dirty; it just smells bad.

Also, I don't know how you guys can hand feed your turtles. They refuse to be out with me around and when they're picked up, they push against me (very strongly). I offered one a carrot and it attacked my finger.

[SpotsMama]

Ha! Sorry about your finger - hope it didn't hurt too badly - but I got a mental image of the little turtle heroically battling the gigantic finger.

I didn't have too much luck hand feeding my turtle - he seemed to be going for my fingers too - but a lot of people on here have had great success with it.

When you handle your turtles, always handle them very gently since they are so nervous.

Try multiple feedings in a day like industrial girl 2000 suggested. Over time, this method works very well.

I'm concerned that your tank gets smelly. How big is it? How many gallons of water are in it? What kind of filter do you have? A tank gets smelly when it's too small for the turtle(s) or the filter isn't up to the job or....it just needs to be cleaned more often. A small tank or a tank with a weak filter usually has to be cleaned more often than once a month. If you upgrade to a bigger tank and filter, you'll find that you can go a month between cleanings and not have to do much scrubing and still have a tank that always looks and smells good.

[Nettle]

I'm currently in the process of getting a bigger tank and filter. I saw a post under indoor habitats that has some really cheap tanks. A 65 gallon was only $110. Glasscages.com So for the time being I just have to clean it.

[fryman86]

If you can't get them to eat from your hand, try putting the food into the water in a way that indicates to them where it is coming from. At first I couldn't get Donna to eat out of my hand, but once she realized "Hey, this guy comes over and puts his hand near the water, and magically I have something to eat.......", she started eating out of my hand. In fact, just the other day I got up and turned her lights on, and then went to feed her a portion of her daily food. I offered a pellet to her and she took it so aggressively that she chomped down on my finger and when I tried to pull it away, she rode my finger through the water. LOL that is so like a turtle to try to hitch a free ride. Now that she associates me with her food, she swims towards me when I approach the tank and acts as if she is trying to get out of the tank to get to me(in order to get to the food of course ) And as far as basking, she has gotten used to me enough that If I move slowly, I can move in and out of the room without her jumping down, and I can even creep over to the edge of my bed and watch her basking about a foot away from me.

[Nettle]

Thanks. Ya, I guess I'm just a little impatient. How long did it take for them to get used to you? It's taken my guys seven months with no progress.

[eugenetimpog]

Hand feeding takes practice

[TheComputerGremlin]

Hey Nettle, they might just never really come around, but as you said, that makes it safer against predators. You can also check Craigslist for cheap aquariums or get a stock tank, esp if you'll be putting them back outside when it warms up!

[Nettle]

I've actually decided to keep them indoors. Ohio summers aren't exactly consistent, and I can't guarantee their total well being. I'd be hard pressed to find a filter and heater big enough let alone an outlet outdoors (it's not close to the house).

[SpotsMama]

For my turtle, it literally took several years for him to become friendly. Some turtles warm up to their keepers a lot faster. It just depends on the turtle. Just be sure and always treat them gently and keep letting them see that you're the one that feeds 'um, and they'll probably come around.

By the way, even if it takes a long time for them to warm up to you, it's worth the time and effort. Turtles make great little friends!