General Care Discussion :: Late night noises

[TNTurtles]

So I'm a 20 year old college student who enjoys staying up late on the computer or watching tv. When the fan in our attic comes on right above me, I have to turn the tv up a little louder in order to hear it. Does this late night noise bother the turtles?
I'm also known to leave the tv on in the room almost all day, not too loud but a medium volume. And, my turtles dont bask that much, well not that i have seen. I tried lowering the temp b/c i noticed it was almost 95F and i thought it was too hot for them to get up there. but, could it be the noise from the tv and all the activity in my room?
I was thinking of moving them to the empty room but i like the noise of the waterfall and enjoy having them to keep me company. But if its for their best interest, i can move them.

[missibsu]

My turtles won't bask when I am in the room. Do you notice that they don't bask when you or anyone else is not around and then scramble back into the water when someone comes? Best bet would be to move them where they have a little more privacy, or you can wait and see if they get more used to you? How long have you had them?

Water temp should be around 78 for hatchlings and 72-75 for turts over one year. Ideally the basking temp should be 10 degrees warmer, but may need to be even a few degrees higher than that for them to bask. 95 is a bit too warm.

[TNTurtles]

I have noticed them basking and them scrambling in quickly when i get in the room. Ive had them for almost 4 months now and the funny thing is, is that when they were in their 10 gallon tank the only thing to rest on was the basking dock so they basked and didn't pay any attention to me. Now that they are in a 50 gallon, they have other plants, logs, and things to hide in. So now i never see them bask.

The water temp is a constant 80, i can turn it down to 78. Somehow my basking light got pushed closer to the basking dock (mom thinks she is helping) and I didn't notice. I usually try to keep it 90, should it be a little lower than that?

I just want them to be healthy and bask properly. Its weird how they will bask in their old tank but not in the new one. I thought it would take a while to get used to but its been almost a month now. They have both been up there but were sick at the time and now that they are healthy, they wont go up there.

[missibsu]

I would say that if the water is going to be 78 that 90 is fine. I wouldn't go much warmer than that though. I know about the moms that try to help. My mom likes to feed mine, and at least it isn't pellets. But the only thing she does seem to know how to feed is carrots. At least it isn't completely unhealthy. When I feed I stay away from them because I know she does it, lol.

My turts bask constantly when they get a new basking area. When they first moved into the 10 gallon with the small basking area, they sat there no matter what. Day two was a completely different story. Then we upgraded to a 75 gallon, and a new turtle dock. Same deal, first day, they wouldn't come down for anything. After that it's always a scamble to see who can dive the fastest.

Maybe if you are going to leave them in the busy room you could get one of those screen dividers. Like the kind you see in chinese restaurants? It was just a thought, since you like the waterfall noise. It would give them some privacy, but can easily be moved when you want to sit and watch them.

[TNTurtles]

so you are saying i should try a new basking dock? b/c im still using the same one, just in a bigger tank.

I could look to see if i could find a divider. that might work.

And my mom is a pellet lady. While I sit in my room i can hear her behind me talking to the turtles asking them if they are hungry and what-not. Then i hear her pick up the pellet bottle and i calmly say "mom, no. go get some lettuce if you're gonna feed them." If they turn out to be big and fat, its her fault. After telling her the dangers of over feeding them I think she gets the idea now.

[missibsu]

I'm not suggesting a new basking dock...like I said, that only lasted one day with me. Mine won't bask with me in the room, that is why I suggested the divider. I think I have seen them at target before, but I am not sure. Hobby Lobby also has some.

[TNTurtles]

Oh ok, i was thinking of getting a bigger one anyway b/c they need an upgrade but ill also look for a divider. Target, i know, but hobby lobby....what is that? like a piggly wiggly or something lol, where do they come up with some store names?

[industrial_girl_2000]

So I'm a 20 year old college student who enjoys staying up late on the computer or watching tv. When the fan in our attic comes on right above me, I have to turn the tv up a little louder in order to hear it. Does this late night noise bother the turtles?
I'm also known to leave the tv on in the room almost all day, not too loud but a medium volume. And, my turtles dont bask that much, well not that i have seen. I tried lowering the temp b/c i noticed it was almost 95F and i thought it was too hot for them to get up there. but, could it be the noise from the tv and all the activity in my room?
I was thinking of moving them to the empty room but i like the noise of the waterfall and enjoy having them to keep me company. But if its for their best interest, i can move them.

Noise never bothers my RES, even when I am up on weekends till 1am watching TV & have my lights on. I notice that she eventually just ignores me & goes right to sleep in her tank.

It's good for the turtles to see as much of you as possible so don't isolate them in a separate room. They will eventually get used to their new life with you, but it may take a coupla years or longer before they lose all the skiddishness.

95 is WAAAAAAY too warm. Turn that down or you will have turtle soup, LOL!

[TNTurtles]

95 is WAAAAAAY too warm. Turn that down or you will have turtle soup, LOL!

yes, i know this, i talked to my mom about pushing the lamp closer. She said that it looked so far away and you wanted to make sure the turts were warm. I had it perfectly positioned to make it around 88-90 so i had to redo it this morning. Shes on probation and isn't allowed to touch any equipment or food. lol Just sit in the chair, watch, and put more lettuce in when they are running low.

It's good for the turtles to see as much of you as possible so don't isolate them in a separate room. They will eventually get used to their new life with you, but it may take a coupla years or longer before they lose all the skiddishness.

They see me a lot and even beg but I dont think its healthy for them not to bask. Is it really worth it to keep them in here and see if they still get used to it and me? Its been a month. I think i might either move it or find some sort of barrier.

[missibsu]

Hobby Lobby is a large craft and hobby store. It's like a Michaels if you have that. They sell decorative items for the home, art supplies, craft supplies, ready made wood creations to be sanded and painted, scrap booking materials, silk flowers, etc, etc.

[KellyP]

My turtles don't seem to mind noise. Both my boyfriend and I are up pretty late at night with the lights and TV on. They just seem to ignore it.

[industrial_girl_2000]

They see me a lot and even beg but I dont think its healthy for them not to bask. Is it really worth it to keep them in here and see if they still get used to it and me? Its been a month. I think i might either move it or find some sort of barrier.

Don't worry, some turtles don't like to bask. My current RES Sheba doesn't like to bask, she just likes to be dry as much as possible so I let her walk around my living room.

On the other hand, I have had some turtles that couldn't get enough sun and would sit in the sun for hours and hours when I took them outside.

And there will be times when you aren't home so leave the light on during that time. Consider this: in the wild, there will be some very cloudy days when they get no sun either. So if they aren't basking 24 hours/day, it's ok.

[TNTurtles]

the only thing i worry about is that i haven't seen them bask for more than a couple minutes in almost a month. i thought they would be used to me and the area by now. i talked to my vet about it a couple weeks ago and she said the shells were hard so there was no reason to worry....

[marisa]

Turtles do not have good hearing, and tend to hear lower tones rather than higher ones. My RES is in a room with a TV and I'm usually up late watching it. As long as the lights are out over his tank, he has no trouble with the noise keeping him awake. I can also stand next to my RES and painteds and yell and it doesn't phase them a bit. They are, however, extremely sensitive to vibrations.

[birdlady]

When mine are indoors, they bask almost all the time...heck they love an audience too..I have great pics of them posing and doing tricks while basking. I don't have a "platform" so to say. I bought one of those reptile 1/2 logs made of wood, propped it up on rocks in the tank and they both fit nicely on it. Those turtle docks you attach to the walls of the tank just didn't hold my girls (btw, mine were 6" big in the fall...I haven't measured them lately and won't be able to until fall now).

Now outside is a completely different matter. I don't see them bask at all for the first month or so then they get the idea..sorta like "Doh!! So that's what
this log is here for??" If it wasn't for the logs I place around the ponds, they wouldn't come out at all.
Here is a shot of them basking:

Holly