General Care Discussion :: Is he bored?

[Silver_wlf]

Hi!

So I've had Sheldon since the beginning of December. He has almost doubled in size, his shell is healthy and he's happy and active. (I took him over from a friend who couldn't keep him - but he had no heat just a basking spot with a light. No UV light either. His scutes weren't shedding properly and he was covered in algae.)

Now I'm worried he's bored.... He is currently in a 55gal tank which is 2/3 full with feeder fish and lots of plants. He has the largest Zoomed floating dock and he loves to rest on the filter to let his back feet hang in the current. However, he seems to be often swimming at the glass or repetitively swimming around, climbing up the no-ramp side of the dock (with some success - sometimes falling off and trying again) then going around again. Should I worry? Is there anything I can do to keep him busy?

He gets veggies every day and will pick away at romaine over the course of the day - just wondering if there's any other ideas. It might be totally normal - I just wasn't sure.

He's SO awesome though.

[CherylH]

I am glad this was posted...I am thinking exactly the same thing with my RES Speedy. It sort of makes me feel guilty when I see her swimming at the side and frequently attempting to climb, as if I am not paying her enought attention.

Peace

Cheryl

[bhynne]

this sounds normal to me..... if i were a turtle in a glass tank.... i would test the glass everyday... just to make sure this invisible barrier is still there Sheldon sounds like he has lucked out with his new home

[Silver_wlf]

Okay thanks. He doesn't particularly like to be picked up - so I don't really interact with him. Some of it is definitely begging for food (when I come stand near the tank he swims over and gets excited) - it was the repetitive pattern of swiming the length of the tank, trying to climb up the wrong side of the dock, walking across it and then swimming around again that had me worried.

I am looking at putting a pond in for the summer or at the very least some outdoor time.... Just wanted to make sure he was okay.

[steve]

Doesn't sound too unusual... their behavior changes from time to time.

[Wasabi]

When Wasabi was a few years younger she'd always get super excited whenever I came over and start swimming like crazy into the glass. I think of it as her unique way of saying "HI! I WUV YOU!" I just get excited easily I guess... Treating my turtle like one of those little puppies in the store windows. You know, when you start acting all excited the puppies almost pee themselves they get so excited. She's a lot more chill now and doesn't beg as much and if she's basking forget it. She'll just stare at me. Sometimes though... she still gets excited when she sees me.

[penelope]

Trying to climb the side with no-ramp and no success? gravid?
If it's any consolation, at one point I was worried that Penelope may be bored.
Bought an indestructible doggie ball thinking she would play with it and prevent boredom. I checked it for safety - pinching, cutting, ripping, etc. before putting it in her tank.
She could care less about it. She still preferred to swim and do "nothing"
So my theory - they swim, jump, climb and chase fish for fun
I'm not worried about her being bored any more.

[Silver_wlf]

Hahahahah sometimes he gets up on the no-ramp side. Sometimes he falls back in. It's funny. He will haul himself out on that side, walk across and go down the ramp into the water.

Glad that it's all normal. I have a 125gal tank but I didn't want to move to that just yet (our house is too small) and he has lots of room in the 55gal - just wanted to make sure he was okay.

He's the best. What fantastic pets.