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Hi all, I am brand new to this site and it is so helpful. I just got 2 RES turtles and they are great. I have done a lot of research about them and all. For some reason whenever they are basking on their little turtle dock and a person walks by the turtles quickly scurry back into the water. I try to approach them slowly and sometimes they will stay but they are usually afraid. I just feel bad and I dont want to stress them out or have them hurt themselves. Is this normal? Any advice?

Thanks!

It's normal, hatchling act this way .
And they're named Slider for that reason too XD .

Mine were the same way.. now, after almost 5 years they're realizing I'm not going to eat them.. Sometimes they'll even let me pick them up off the dock and place them back

Turtles, especially hatchlings, are easily spooked. Don't worry, it's normal.

RES like to bask privately, too. Maybe if you put some plants, like a vine, around the edge of the dock they will most likely feel more comfortable.

New hatchlings take a while to get used to a new home, and as you change the tank as they get older, they slowly get more accustomed to changes and take less time to get comfortable. (I've done weekly tank cleanings for my turtles since we brought them home, and it took them only a few hours to get comfortable if I rearranged their old set up, and it took them a week to get used to their new set up. They were actually happy when I removed some things, too, and took a day to get used to that).

A stressed out turtle, is going to hide for most of the day, refuse to bask, refuse to eat, or even go to the bathroom on you if you pick them up. You'll see their behavior change too, like being overly wary of the pet owner they've known for a long time, being extra alert to their surroundings, running and ducking for cover excessively. These things do happen when you change the tank, and should not last for more than a week as long as you leave them alone. I don't know the specifics of what happens to a reptile's body when they are stressed out for long periods of time, but I do know it can kill them, and should be avoided at all costs. (This is why I got angry with my mother when she tried to handle them a day after I changed the tank set up).

When my female was small, she would react like that. In fact, I received my male from a friend who kept the turtles in an outside pond. When I physically picked him up for the first time, he snapped at me and tried to bite me. Now, I can easily pick him up, pet him on top of the head, and he will even come to the water's surface and beg for food. My female is very domesticated and has her particular path when she walks around inside the house. The other night I was laying down on the carpet watching her explore, she crawled right up on top of me and sat there like a cat. When she wants something (particularly food), she won't hesitate to let me know by following me as I move around the tank.

big- That is so adorable.

My turtles associate me with food so much, that, if I stand at a certain angle near the tank they automatically think I will feed them. If I hold the green food can near the tank wall, they so insane. I can't let my fingers get near them, either, they've seen me on occasions drop pellets close to the water's surface, and they just truly believe whether they see it or not that I am holding food and aim for it. I did a test yesterday to prove to myself if this was aggression or just a weird belief they have that fingertips magically produce food. The nippier one, Typhoon, after she was done eating, I held my hand in front of her, like I would feed her, and she had no interest whatsoever. The other didn't either. I tested them again late that evening, cause they usually beg around that time, and they still just stared at me, with no biting at all. I think I am truly fascinated by how observant they are. (I hope I can break this habit, though, for the future's sake. I want to keep my fingertips).

My turtles react very similarly. In fact, I just stuck my finger close to them and they just ignored it. Then I grapped the green turtle food container and they followed it from one end of the tank to the other. I also alternated between the food container and my finger. They would follow my finger for a few inches and stop. However, they continuously chased after the food container.

bigG wrote:My turtles react very similarly. In fact, I just stuck my finger close to them and they just ignored it. Then I grapped the green turtle food container and they followed it from one end of the tank to the other. I also alternated between the food container and my finger. They would follow my finger for a few inches and stop. However, they continuously chased after the food container.

It's kinda fun to test their behaviors, isn't it?

My turtles look at the food container as though it is GOD. I vaguely remember I may have hand fed them both at least once a long time ago, that could be where they got the "chase Alex's fingers" idea from.

I think some of Typhoon's newest antics are more playful than aggressive. If I close my fingers together and dip my hand in the tank, she doesn't care, or she runs (cause she knows I'm gonna pick her up. She's becoming a drama queen). If I spread out my fingers, or even put just one in the water, when she spots it she goes into chase mode. I don't let her actually catch me, but she follows me sort of the way they hunt for things in the water. I like being able to see what her hunting behaviors would look like if she were in the wild. I like to that she can practice them, why not? I also love how, if I scoop her up with closed fingers, she hold onto my fingertips with her nails really tightly and I just sort of bob her up and down at the water's surface. She doesn't hide in her shell or anything. It's like when human parents bounce their babies on their hips to calm the kid down.

Typhoon is playful and feisty. The other one, Hurricane, is the affectionate one. All she wants from me is food and to be picked up and have her head/chin rubbed.