Habitat - Indoor :: is gravel ok in my turtle tank?

[howzitnani]

I am a new turtle owner and am not sure if gravel is ok for them they are just babies and one older one

[SpotsMama]

Gravel is bad news for turtles of any age or size. They eat it and it gets stuck in their intestines and stomach and usually they die. Sometimes, if the gravel has sharp edges it cuts them inside and they bleed. Bad news!

Another bad thing about gravel is that it's very hard to keep clean. "Stuff" gets stuck in the gravel and makes the tank smelly and cloudy and unhealthy.

Better to go with a handfull of large polished river rocks. They are inexpensive, pretty, turtles like to play with them, and they are safe and easy to clean.

I'm not saying that the first day you have gravel in your turtle tank the turtle will eat it but given a little time they will. Best take it out if it's in there now.

[octpusgirl8]

I second that. Lose the gravel, no good can come of it! Besides, river rocks look nice and your turtles will enjoy playing with them. They might even become "special" friends with one of them

[turboturtle8]

I wouldn't they may try to eat it when your not looking.

If you do decided to get gravel get gravel as big as there head so they won't swollw it

[xsavingsaturdayx]

After spending around 300$ on your first turtle setup - do you realy want to cough up 400$ in xrays and possible, surgery? Because of a stupid bag of 6$ gravel? Any good hearted person would..but its alot of money, and a pretty bad experience.

Skip the gravel. Too many turtles die because of it - sure, some may have had it in their tanks for YEARS without their turtles eating it, but..what if one day, the turtle gets hungry and that small blue rock starts to look tasty?..I wouldnt risk putting my turtles life on the line because of it.

[Kayra33]

My turtle is 4 and I buy gravel big enough so she can't or doesn't want to eat it. I think that it's pretty much up to you b/c I like the gravel b/c it hides all of the waste on the bottom and I have a gravel cleaner that I stick in the tank and clean the gravel about every 2 weeks. I think that she enjoys digging in it b/c if she "accidentally" gets one in her mouth she spits it right back out. I think that she knows that it's not food.

[berkleykc]

I buy really big river rocks. The turts like to push it around but there is no way they can ingest it.

[octpusgirl8]

Kayra33- please please please take the gravel out, just because your turtle hasn't eaten it yet doesn't mean she won't decide to in the future. I have seen so many heartbreaking stories on here from people who's turtles ate gravel and died. It's just not worth it!

[SpotsMama]

Yeah, Kayra33, if the gravel is small enough that she can pick it up with her mouth it's small enough for her to swallow. I agree that it's better not to take any chances. You could cover the bottom with river rocks if you wish. Turtles can push them around and they are quite decorative.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Turtles are smart, but not that smart. They can mistaken practicaly anything for food. It's better not to take the chance, but then again, its up to you

Just remember, crap happens...

[steve]

How much larger is the bigger turtle than the hatchling? It's never a good idea to keep smaller hatchlings with larger turtles (risk of injury, bullying, food competition, etc.).

[howzitnani]

Dude is the larger of the two and he is about 4 1/2 inches. Einstein and Darwin are about the size of a quarter to a half dollar. We had dude first an he wouldn't eat or anything,just hide. since bringing home the 'kids' he seems more active, and even gives them a piggy back lift onto the basking dock. they seem to get along just fine. Feeding time I separate the two 'babies' into a separate feeding container with water. Oh and thanks for the advice, that gravel is otta there!!!!

[grey goose]

Keep a close eye on the little ones....They may be getting along now, but things could change quickly.

[steve]

At that size, I would keep them apart. Like goose said... things can change even if they seem to get along.