General Care Discussion :: Doesn't like to submerge

[BlueDoraemon]

Hi,

My turtle, Buddy doesn't like to into the water and when she does she doesn't like to submerge underneathe it....Is this normal? There's filter with heating lamp and water filter all at the right temperature..... :? :? :?

[SpotsMama]

That's very unusual behavior. Buddy is a RES, right?

Can you please answer these questions to help give a complete picture of your situation:

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

Have you read the Basic Care section?
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[BlueDoraemon]

How big is your turtle? 4 inches.
How long have you had it? 2 month.

What is the water temperature? 75F.
Are you using a water heater? Yes.
How much water is in there? 5 inches depth. 20 gallon.
Are you using a water conditioner? No.
Are you using any filtration? Yes.

What is the basking temperature? 90F.
Is there a basking light? Yes.
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? The standard platform with suction.
Is there a UVB light? Yes.

What have you been trying to feed it? RepoMin pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today, 2 pellets.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons
Is the tank near a window? No.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes. It's a classroom.

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes...
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes..and many web pages.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No, she seems otherwise healthy...

[RunninWideOpen]

Hm, that does seem a little odd to me. particularly since it's in a classroom. i've heard that when there's a lot of activity and/or turtles feel threatened they like to be under water because they feel safer. i know mine dive into the water whenever anything's going on in the room.

[megcornell]

Does it appear as the turtle can't submerge?
When she's floating on the surface is she floating evenly?
a 20 gallon tank is a small fit for a 4 inch turtle so the size may be the problem if it's not health related.

[SpotsMama]

Trouble submerging or swimming lopsided are two key indicators of illness in a turtle. Other indicators are lethargy, poor appetite, breathing with the mouth open, swollen eyes. If you're seeing some of these things (you don't have to see them all) then it may be your turtle is getting sick, in which case a quick visit to a vet is going to be necessary to save him/her.

Seeing as the tank is quite small relative to the size of the turtle, it's possible that you may be having ammonia and/or nitrite buildups which are making your turtle not want to submerge. Do you ever test water quality? There are kits for this that you can get in the fish section of the pet store. In a healthy tank, the readings for ammonia and nitrite should be zero. If you test and find ammonia and/or nitrite, then you can check back on ways to reduce it down to zero. (The first suggestion is going to be to upgrade to a larger tank!)

One thing you can do right away that will help water quality and also make your turtle very grateful is to put a lot more water in that tank. Turtles are aquatic and love to swim and dive. Here's a picture of a 29 gallon tank which is filled up pretty well:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... =gallon%2A

You have be careful not to put so much water in the tank that the turtle can climb out and escape. They are great escape artists! So you probably would not be able to fill your tank as high as this one because your turtle is bigger.