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Here's the thing. Oliver loves trying to escape. He loves any kind of struggle. He loves swimming under the waterfall from his filter cause it pushes him down and he has to struggle back up. He loves a challenge.

I need to make his habitat just a little more escape attempt proof. Right now he's to the point where he has figured out how to hang by his claws from the chicken wire covering his basking site, and that's a bad bad thing. I don't think he CAN escape from the tank as it is, but I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself trying.

That said, this is the highest order thinking Oliver does all day. It's his problem-solving time, and I don't want to take it away from him.

What I need is a creative way to make Oliver THINK that escape attempts are worth his time without letting him hurt himself. He is in a shallow 50-gal Rubbermaid stock tank, so I can't lower the water level too much.

OR I need something non-escape-oriented that might be just as fun/challenging for Oliver.

What do you think? What are good turtle diversions?

Have you got some river rocks in the tubs? Mine like to push them around and make lots of noise.
They also like it when I suction down their plants, and they find it a fun challenge to pop it back up.
I've also heard of people using a ping pong ball or a golf ball for them to play around with.

you could try an airstone. i know my turtle loves playing with the bubbles.