General Care Discussion :: My Red Eea slider keeps sinking

[croywiggin]

How big is your turtle?about 5 inches
How long have you had it?a little over a year i believe

What is the water temperature? below room temp
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? almost 30 gal
Are you using a water conditioner?yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? not sure
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of?I believe it is a resin platform
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? a few hours ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 30 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

Have you read the Basic Care section? no
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes but nothing seems to fit.



So i have two RES(both about the same size), and i just finished setting up their tank(i know its too small i am in the process of acquiring a larger tank.) I placed my little guys in there one of them starts swimming right away. The other however just sinks to the bottom. He crawls around rather than swims, and it looks like he is trying to climb but cant. Can anyone help me out here?

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Has he been able to swim since you posted this? Turtle do like to explore and they will crawl around on the bottom rather then swim. Also is this their first time being placed in deep water?

[swiltz]

It seems that particular turtles have a preference for the bottom of the aquarium.. perhaps its been more conditioned to pick up scraps from the bottom of the tank and thus like it down there.

Observe it a while more.. like whether it has problems getting to the surface for air..

[ataraxiamb]

Is he basking?

[jenaero]

The first thing I would suggest is to find out what the basking and water temperatures are. Not knowing is not an option with animals that rely on a heat source for their health. Please get a good digital thermometer and make sure the temperatures are in the ideal range.

Sinking to the bottom can be a sign of illness, or it can just be that he likes sitting at the bottom of the tank. The first line of defense for any illness is to raise the water and basking temps, but you can't do that without knowing what they are.

[croywiggin]

Thanks for the advice guys but I just let him crawl around for a while in the tub and put him back in he seemed to still have trouble but he could make it to the top. I watched him for a bit and he is doing fine.

[swiltz]

Thanks for the advice guys but I just let him crawl around for a while in the tub and put him back in he seemed to still have trouble but he could make it to the top. I watched him for a bit and he is doing fine.

Thats good to hear

[HoitleToitle]

Glad to know he's doing fine! Good luck with the new tank!