General Care Discussion :: Do Turtles get Used to being out of the tank?

[g29w]

Do hatchlings ever get used to being taken out of the tank?

Every time I clean the tank, I put them in a dry box with a towel. Once I put them back in the tank, they swim like crazy. It seems to stress them out.

How do you feed turtles in a separate container if they are so resistant to being taken out of the tnak? Also, do they ever get used to it? Or for the first year or so, they just won't get used to it?

[Kallistos]

It depends on the turtle, hatchlings should be handled very rarely since their health is delicate. You'll just have to keep trying until they get used to it, try to be gentle and minimuze the stress.

[marisa]

They're vulnerable when out of a habitat they're used to. Put them back in (the tank) and they scramble for safety.

You have to be consistent if you try to feed them out of the tank. If they won't eat, don't put them back in their tank and then feed them---they won't learn that the feeding container is for eating. Some turtles just aren't comforable eating of the the tank, though. If you try for a reasonable amount of time and they still won't eat, it just may be that they'll need to be fed in the tank.

[cam722]

A few things to remember about out of the tank feeding.. the water needs to be the same temp as their tank water. Some ppl use this time to do partial water changes and use the water they from their tank. Also, I found that if I had the water a bit deeper than their shell.. when they were walking.. they could see the food floating on the top of the water and then they'd eat it. They don't have the best eyesight

[grey goose]

If you want to feed them in a separate container you can try putting a plant in with them (a bunch of anacharis works great) they'll run and hide under it, then just put the pellets on top of the plant.......I did this with my three guys when they were new.