General Care Discussion :: My turtle likes tight spaces?

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:50 pm   My turtle likes tight spaces?

Ok, I probably have no reason to be worried, but I have a Zoomed floating dock, size medium, and one of my turtles is sleeping with its head inside the holes the bars go through! I've seen other posts where the turtle likes to sleep with its head between the bars. but not in the holes. Its a really tight squeeze for him/her, but he/she can still breathe because her head is on the surface, so should I be worried? I tried lifting the dock up to get it out, but it just got right back in there.
-Tinkerbell 2 1/2" RES
-Mack 3" RES
-Franklin 3" RES
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turtlesrock77
 
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:29 pm   

My big guy Bozo is in a nice big 90 gal. tank with a great big (and expensive) cave to dwell in and where do you think he likes to hang out? Wedged in between the big, beautiful (did I say expensive?) cave and the intake pipe, where he has to strech his neck waaay up to get his nose above the waterline to breathe. Go figure.
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grey goose
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:38 pm   

Just make sure your turtle can't get stuck/ trapped.
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marisa
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:20 pm   

When my turts are out of the tank, they like tight spaces as well.
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:07 am   

My turtle also likes to find tight squeezes to cram himself into. I think it instinctually makes them feel safer from possible predators. I'm not sure I got that word right, instinctually? instinctively? lol
1 RES "Gandalf the Green" or "Turty" for short
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Shavannah
 
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:13 am   

I'd say do whatever you can think of to keep him from sticking his head in the tight space. My turtle got his head stuck in a little plaster alligator and he couldn't get it out. It was underwater and he would have drowned if my husband and I hadn't been there to help him get loose. It was very scary. Someday your turt will have grown just big enough to get really stuck.

Can you perhaps partially plug the holes with silicon gel so they are too small for him to get his head in? But still allow room for the dock to rise and fall with the water level? What do the more experienced people on this thread think of this idea?

I don't know why the turtles like a tight squeeze. It seems to be universal with the RES's.
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SpotsMama
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:32 am   

Filling up the wholes with silicone sounds like a good idea to me too, allowing for the poles to have a little wiggle room to move, as stated above. Although, the turtle may start to bite at it to get back in it, so just watch for that if you do use that idea.
1 RES "Gandalf the Green" or "Turty" for short
3 Kitties "Kipper" "Slinky" "Yuki"

'Where will wants not, a way opens..'-Dernhelm
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Shavannah
 
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Post Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 4:16 pm   

This sounds dangerous to me. If she has to wedge her head in there, she could easily get stuck and suffocate. I'd try to find a way to keep her from doing that. Someone mentioned silicone to fill the holes. Sounds like a pretty good solution to me.
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KellyP
 
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Post Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:00 pm   

try and give the turtle some floating pland or somthing so he can stay near the surface at night he is most likly trying to find a spot where he can fall asleep comfortably
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Andrew7769
 
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Post Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2022 3:02 pm   Re: My turtle likes tight spaces?

I actually got my turtle a plant pad and they did not bask on it :( Is it weird he did not go on it at all??
TurtleFanatic101
 
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Post Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2022 9:58 pm   Re: My turtle likes tight spaces?

Can you post a picture of it and the setup? There certainly could be a few different reasons why they would not bask.
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steve
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