General Care Discussion :: Biting Basking Rock?

[Gerstein]

How big is your turtle? Standard Carapace Length: 6 In.
How long have you had it? 6 Years

What is the water temperature? 78 Degrees F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? About 20 Gallons
Current Tank: 40 Gallon Tank
Tank Width: 48 In. W


Total Tank Depth: Around 17 In.H

Water Depth: 8 In. (Add 2 In. to Carapace Length)

Length: About 17 In L

Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? 84 Degrees F
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? Large Zoo Med Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Vegetables and Pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? This afternoon

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No

Hello! Shelldon Kooper has been biting her basking rock recently (though I just noticed today, it seems that she has been doing this for a while). I left a message with the vet, but am doing some preliminary research. It appears that the conclusion is that she is not getting enough calcium. Usually I let her chomp on a large piece of Zoomed Calcium block (one of the standard blocks broken into pieces) before cleaning the tank weekly, while giving her about 5 Zoo Med Pellets daily in the afternoon (with veggie feeding in the morning). I am wondering if that is not enough Calcium. I gave her a piece to chew on and she seemed to stop eating the dock (for today anyway). I was wondering if anyone had a different view of the problem.
Thank you.

[steve]

Some RES are just more bitey. The Zoo Med dock is a popular victim, just another reason I don't like it. Try a different one... cork bark works great. I've heard of the calcium excuse before, but I'm not sure how true it is. I'd probably also skip the block.

[Gerstein]

I see... Shelldon certainly is a bitey turtle. But what did you mean by "skip the block?" I'm pretty sure its important for RES to have a source of calcium... the vegetables and Zoomed pellets aren't exactly the best source. (As far as protein goes, the pellets and the bi-weekly shrimp seem to do the trick).

[Samuel T Jackson]

I had the exact same problem with my turtle--I'd come home to find chunks of it gone that a small child could have bitten off. For a while I thought he was hungry or wanting some algae on it, but once he started doing it to brand new floating docks, I realized he either had developed a habit or just liked destroying stuff (my money is on the latter). It didn't seem to hurt him, but I"m sure it wasn't good to be ingesting that stuff either.

Cuttlebone seems to be a popular choice for calcium; it's usually in the bird aisle at the pet supply stores, and it's a good idea to chip the hard backing off before tossing it in the tank. That should also be fun for the turtle to chew/destroy.

For a basking area, I like the acrylic turtle ramps made by Oasis, but I also made an above-tank basking area out of plastic "egg crate" lighting that goes over fluorescent lights. There are pretty clear instructions in the video below, although I actually made the ramp, walls, and ceiling all out of egg crate that I zip-tied together. This way, you get to fill the tank up all the way too!