General Care Discussion

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:57 am **I think my turtle is depressed.**

My turtle Cortez is three years old. Recently, he has been gnawing on everything! Mainly his basking dock. He has also been very destructive... I don't know if it is on purpose or if he just runs into things swimming around. Though there is plenty of room for him, he has knocked the filter down a couple times, and has tore down the plants to leave them floating on the top of the water! He seems to like the plants that way... but he is still being destructive! Is there something wrong with him? He used to be so happy with his habitat.

My mom has this theory that he is gnawing on things because his stomache is upset... like dogs eat grass to make themselves throw up... He doesn't appear sick, no fungus or visible signs of disease. OMG is my turtle depressed?!

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:01 pm

You state that your turtle has plenty of room in this post yet in your other about adding fish you say he's in a 20 gallon tank. That is rather small for a 3 yr old turtle. What size is he? Turtles have a habit of rearranging their environment to their liking.. ripping up plants.. move the rocks around.. attacking the thermometer or anything else if they don't like it where it is. That is normal behavior for a turtle. I always find it interesting when humans try to attribute human emotions to a pet.. when it could simply be bordom or nature. Also, the seasons are changing and many turtles act differently at this time of year.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:09 pm

In addition if he's chewing on his basking dock he maybe trying to get more calcium. What some of them are made of contain a form of it. Do you give him cuttlebone?

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:21 pm

No I don't give him cuttlebone... what is that?

I am glad that he is just acting out of nature, I worry too much about him.

And yes he is in a 20 gallon tank, but he seems to have so much space... someone told me he should have 10 gallons to every inch, someone else said if he is taking up 1/3 of the tank its time to get a new tank.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:24 pm

10 gal per inch is the rule that we follow around here. It's just best to provide as much room as possible.

I keep my snake in a 20gal and I can't imagine putting either of my 2yo res in there...simply not enough room

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:29 pm

Well if he is a good little turt he will get one for Christmas! Thanks everybody!

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:34 pm

cuttlebone is made for birds, so go to the bird section of your favorite pet store. Most places sell the kind that has a hard backing on it. If you can't dig your nail into it, then that part needs to be removed. Break it into bite size pieces and throw it in. It shouldn't take too long for him to figure out that he is supposed to eat it.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:43 pm **Re: I think my turtle is depressed.**

JELslider wrote:My turtle Cortez is three years old. Recently, he has been gnawing on everything! Mainly his basking dock. He has also been very destructive... I don't know if it is on purpose or if he just runs into things swimming around. Though there is plenty of room for him, he has knocked the filter down a couple times, and has tore down the plants to leave them floating on the top of the water! He seems to like the plants that way... but he is still being destructive! Is there something wrong with him? He used to be so happy with his habitat.

My mom has this theory that he is gnawing on things because his stomache is upset... like dogs eat grass to make themselves throw up... He doesn't appear sick, no fungus or visible signs of disease. OMG is my turtle depressed?!

He just sounds bored. Turts are like people....."idle mind is a devil's workshop!" They will get into everything, gnaw on everything, push things around when they get bored, just like a restless little kid with no attention span. A larger tank will definitely help this behavior. Take the turtle out of the tank & letting him walk around your house helps too. Just make sure to keep him out of busy areas. The bathroom makes a great exploring ground for him to dry off & get some exercise. Just close the door so he doesn't get out.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:47 pm

JELslider wrote:Well if he is a good little turt he will get one for Christmas! Thanks everybody!

This is something he should have on a regular basis not as a treat. It is relatively inexpensive.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:34 pm

flutterby wrote:
JELslider wrote:Well if he is a good little turt he will get one for Christmas! Thanks everybody!

This is something he should have on a regular basis not as a treat. It is relatively inexpensive.

Flutterby, I think this was in response to a tank upgrade, not the cuttlebone.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:22 pm

Oooops...Never can tell sometimes

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:45 pm

Oh yea, I meant the tank, lol! To buy a new tank would cost a pretty penny, but I will see what I can pull together by Christmas. I am going to get him some Cuttlebone for calcium. But he is such a picky eater. I mean he is really spoiled.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:49 pm

I think that he is bored. But I take him out of the tank every now and then, even when I am not cleaning it. Just to give him some excitement. I let him walk around my room, he likes that because there are alot of places for him to hide and explore, hence the name Cortez after the Spanish Conquistador. He likes to climb over things again and again... like my shoes!

But maybe he is still bored during the day, because most of the time when he is awake I am at work.

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:15 pm

I was just wondering, if you let him walk around you're guys's rooms, dont you have to clean everything because of Salmonella?

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:55 pm

Hey everyone, I found a turtle bone thats not in the bird section! I bought it a couple weeks ago at petsmart.. here it is! :

http://www.reptiledirect.com/index.asp? ... rodID=1044

General Care Discussion :: I think my turtle is depressed.

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