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for some reason it seems that my two tiny turtles hate being in their tank. They have a 10 gallon tank for both (soon i'll get them a 20 gallon). I had just bought new rocks for them and a nice background so they would have something nice to look at. they got really super hyper last night, they would go on their rocks in the basking area then dive right back in the water one after the other. They must have done this about a million times. They also try to get out all the time, standing up trying to swim through the glass or something. is this normal or do turtles really hate being in an enclosure?

sounds like you got some silly little turtles. if these turtles are new, give them time to get used to their new home. RES turtles are very energetic, and it seems that your turtles like to explore and have fun jumping off their dock. in time they will calm down.

If you have two turtles, my guess is that the 10 gallon is too small for them. They may be digging against the glass for extra space. I'd consider going with something larger than a 20 gallon tank. I have two turtles that were gotten as hatchlings and in a years time I've gone all the way to a 75 gallon tank. If you can't afford a larger set up, I'd save the money spent on the 20 gallon and put it towards a rubbermaid container. Then you can save the extra for a larger glass or stock tank.

Don't forget to check websites like craigslist and ebay, or your local freecycle group.

What are the water temperatures?

the temperature is actually not warm at all it is cold poor turtles but i'm going to buy them a water heater today.

stephanie1986 wrote:for some reason it seems that my two tiny turtles hate being in their tank. They have a 10 gallon tank for both (soon i'll get them a 20 gallon). I had just bought new rocks for them and a nice background so they would have something nice to look at. they got really super hyper last night, they would go on their rocks in the basking area then dive right back in the water one after the other. They must have done this about a million times. They also try to get out all the time, standing up trying to swim through the glass or something. is this normal or do turtles really hate being in an enclosure?

Turtles are wacky when they are happy. I have a massively large adult RES (11 inch long shell) and she used to climb up on her dock, then SPLOOSH into the water. Then up the dock, SPLOOSH. Over and over. It was LOUD...between her shell hitting the dock when she was scraping her way up the dock, and the SPLOOSH of her cannonball diving into the water, over and over.....yeeeesh.....

I have been dealing with this behavior from Sheba for 17 yrs. Believe me, it's totally normal!