Other Turtle Discussion :: my turtles r weird

[HwTi3]

hi, i'm new here but i've had my turtles for about 7-8 months. i hav 2 male RES named mr. turtle and abobo. they're about 8 months old and they're 7 inches long from head to tail. mr. turtle is rather adventurous...inside the tank. abobo, on the other hand, is rather lazy and prefers to sit around all day provided he and mr.turtle aren't eating or fighting...no matter where he is. anyway, the point is that my turtles, other than a few odd things i'v attributed to 'personality querks,' hav two interesting skills. no matter where i've gone no one has been able to answer me: my turtles hav recently (in the past 3 months) developed the ability to hiss and chirp! not at the same time but still! is this normal?!

[missibsu]

I've never heard mine chirp, but I've heard the hissing. Others have mentioned chirping though.

[pumpkinsherbet]

very normal. mine have hissed at me (though being small it's hard to hear) and i've heard of the chirping.

[SpotsMama]

Those turtles are really really HUGE for only 8 months old. Are you sure they weren't already pretty old when you got them? What size were they when you got them?

Mine hisses when he's mad or scared. I've never heard anything like a chirp though. When is it that you hear chirping?

[Starchick]

Depending on the context, a chirp might be an indication of RI. My turtle whistles (we haven't determined if it's solely because of RI or because he's overweight) and I've heard that turtle sneezes and coughs come out as chirps. Watch him for any other symptoms.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Just make sure he isn't opening his mouth when he is "chirping".

Hissing is very common.

[HwTi3]

they were both barely an inch long when i got em and i kno they're big for their age but thats only cuz they eat like 3-5 times a day. anyway they're mouths are closed when they chirp and its not so much a chirp as a high pitched squeek and i'm pretty sure they only do it when i turn off they're water filter...they must both be very fond of the little waterfall it makes cuz when i turn it off they stare at it and look depressed. i highly doubt they're sick cuz they're both quite active and happy. they're learning new interesting skills evry month tho. for example during february break i only got up at around 12pm and they were there on their dock (right in front of my bed) and one waved at me!

[SpotsMama]

Hi HwTi3,

I know you didn't ask about this so I hope you'll forgive me for bringing it up, but why don't you read up here on nutrition:

http://www.redearslider.com/nutritional_content.html

I think you are feeding them way too much. At 12 months they should only be about 4" long at the most and yours are growing way faster than that. It's really hard not to overfeed - we are all tempted - because they love being fed so much and are so cute when they beg. However, just because they are begging it doesn't mean they NEED to be fed - they just WANT to be fed!

The dangers of overfeeding are more long term. The problems won't start showing up for a year or so but then they are quite serious.

See what the link above says about quantity. For big turtles like yours, you shouldn't feed more pellets than would fit in the turtle's head (if it were hollow) every other day. You can give them green vegetables every day, and they can have treats like krill once in a blue moon.

[HwTi3]

i've brought them down to twice a day but thats the best i can do for now, i'm gonna try makin them eat less as the month goes on, hopefully they'll b down to once a day by april lol. i feel soooooo bad when they wait by the glass to eat and then they get so excited to see me... when they don't eat they get all angry and fight even more! well, i'll try to make em eat a bit less but i'm not sure if i hav that much willpower lol

[SpotsMama]

I can relate to that! Why don't you try feeding them just as often but feed them just a little bit each time. Just so they get a total of a half-a-head-full every day, they'll be ok even if it comes in two servings. And they can have all the salad greens they want! Also, do they have a cuttlebone to snack on in between meals?

You have to be the mom here - be sure they eat right even when they don't want to!

[HwTi3]

they hate any and all veggies (the only non meat related thing they like is grapes) and their heads r small so compared to their massive bodies (lol) i dont think its enuff food! also, i'm releasing them into the wild this june, do turtles kno how to hibernate automatically?

[steve]

Never ever release captive turtles in the wild. The will threaten the native population and/or die miserably. Plus, its illegal in most places and an irresponsible thing to do. Its one thing to realize you need help with your turtles, its another to release them into the wild. With a little effort, you can find them a better home.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Please do not release them into the wild, they have been captive animals their whole lives. They simply do not know how to survive in the wild. They will eventually die, if released.

[industrial_girl_2000]

i've brought them down to twice a day but thats the best i can do for now, i'm gonna try makin them eat less as the month goes on, hopefully they'll b down to once a day by april lol. i feel soooooo bad when they wait by the glass to eat and then they get so excited to see me... when they don't eat they get all angry and fight even more! well, i'll try to make em eat a bit less but i'm not sure if i hav that much willpower lol

If they keep begging, throw some lettuce in there. At least the lettuce won't contribute to a weight problem! I put romaine in my Sheba's tank daily.

[HwTi3]

i kinda hafta release them eventually cuz they're getting bigger and i can't afford or even manage to clean anything bigger than the 40 gallon tank i have. i tried the zoos and animal shelters near me and they all basically said that they don't want my turtles!