General Care Discussion :: my turtle won't leave me aloooone!

[ihatemilkduds]

good ole Boo Radley is driving me NUTS. everytime my husband or i walk into the room, he starts slapping the water and scratching at the sides of his tank and he's not appeased until i drop some food in for him. i can't imagine that he'd be acting this way for any other reason than for food.

i'm wondering if he's jealous of our new little toad, Trevor.

How big is your turtle? 6 in.
How long have you had it? almost 3 years.

What is the water temperature? 78 degrees
Are you using a water heater? yes.
How much water is in there? 30 gallon.
Are you using a water conditioner? have before, but not at the moment.
Are you using any filtration? yes.

What is the basking temperature? bout 75 degrees
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? made of real rock pile.
Is there a UVB light? of course.

What have you been trying to feed it? cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, mealworms and reptile sticks.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 5 minutes ago. 4 sticks.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? it's a 30 gallon plastic tub so he's got a lot of room to swim around. ample basking area.
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. all the problems are LOSS of appetite, not gargantuan gain of appetite.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? he's fine. he looks good, no wheezing or strange swimming patterns. he still gets out and basks a lot. but he's become a little more agressive, biting at my fingers when i try to feed him. . .why the voracious appetite??

any clues?

[flutterby]

Its normal begging behavior, he knows you're the food bringer.

[steve]

Is the toad kept in the same room? Did he act like this before?

[flutterby]

Another thing I noticed is 75 degrees isn't warm enough for the basking temp.

[ihatemilkduds]

yeah, the toad is kept in the same room. he can't see him, but i don't know if that means anything. he never acted like this before, either. if he bit me, it was by accident because i had food in my hand. but now, even if i put my finger on the outside of the tank, he tries to bite at me.

i don't know. . .maybe it's not really an urgent problem. maybe he's just finally comfortable and not afraid to come out of his shell, so to speak.

and oh, that was a typing mistake. it's supposed to be 85.

but even if it's not a real problem for him to be acting in this way, it's crazy because he's gonna get fat if i keep feeding him. obviously, i ignore him as best i can. maybe i should keep him in an even LESS active room because he will not relent if he knows i'm in the room.

but i mean, i'll feed him and then 2 minutes later, it's like he forgot. and he's back to begging, whilst making as much noise as he possibly can. i just wondered if anyone else has had this problem.

[flutterby]

How much and how often do you feed him?

[ihatemilkduds]

well, we used to feed him once, sometimes twice a day (about 4 or 5 sticks or a couple broken up pieces of veggies or fruits).

but he begs so often now, just to get him from scraping himself up against the tank, i'll drop in 2 or 3 sticks about 3 or sometimes 4 times a day. depending on how much time i spend in the room.

but he's been acting like this for the past month. do you think maybe i should consult a vet. . .just in case?? i just haven't found anything indicating what his behavior might be due to. . .all the info i've found is about loss of appetite but i've never heard or seen this before.

[flutterby]

I really wouldn't be too worried, I think its just him begging for food, knowing that you'll give it to him. Though at his size you should only be feeding him pellets every other day at most but giving him greens every day.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Don't worry about the voracious appetite & constantly clawing for attention....he just knows that you are the "provider" and he is trying to get you to "provide more!" LOL. Sounds like you have a healthy growing boy on your hands.

Turtles don't get jealous, so you don't have to worry about that either.

[marisa]

If you have a UVB light, and the basking area is only 75F, you need a heat light as well (use a regular lightbulb).

If he's eating well and seems otherwise healthy, he doesn't sound like he needs a herp vet...You might put a barrier around part of the tank so he doesn't go crazy when you enter the room.

[ihatemilkduds]

haha, i swear he can SMELL me when i come in the house and gets ready to start slapping around. his basking area is 85F though, that was a typing error.

i'm glad he's just voracious and there's nothing really wrong with him. thanks for all your help guys.

i just hated it when it started because i'd come in the room and he'd be basking, but he'd jump off his rock and start begging right away when he saw me. he needs to forget food and let himself dry off more.

[flutterby]

He can probably feel the vibrations of you walking through the water.

[ssfligg]

I know how you feel.. my little ones do the same thing.. they are in the living room and when I get up from the couch or just walk by they do the slapping at the water and going crazy...It's kinda cute when they do that,, they really do know who takes care of them.

[ihatemilkduds]

as long as it is normal behavior. . .that is fine with me.

i was just worried because he had never acted like that before.

but he is happy and hungry, haha. so thanks.

[KellyP]

Sounds like he's just begging. My turtles do this too, even if they've just been fed recently. Don't let him con you into over feeding him. Turtles will beg even when they don't need food.