General Care Discussion

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:33 pm **my turtle bites at everything in the tank**

my two res (itchy and scratchy) have a habit of nipping at everything in the tank, except for the wires to the filter and heater, thank god. is this a sign of a potential problem or is this normal behavior? they aren't acting strangely and they are eating really well.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:40 pm

sounds like RES do they nip at each other?

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:12 pm

If they nip at each other you will have to provide a larger enclosure for them (10 gallon's of water per every inch of your turtle) and if that doesnt work out, you will have to seperate them.

I read somewhere that when they bite everything (basking dock's etc) it's because they crave calcium, however I'm not sure though..but adding some cuttlebone to the tank for them to chew on wouldnt hurt.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:14 am

They do tend to bite everything which is why you don't want to put a glass thermometer in the tank, for instance. However, I too have heard that they will chew on their turtledock when they are craving calcium. If there's not a cuttlebone in there, why don't you add one and see if it helps.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:50 am **my turtle bites at everything in the tank**

they don't nip at each other, in fact they act like they are best friends. however i tried putting cuttlebone in there a while back but they just looked at it. i will try it again though. thanks

xlgringo wrote:my two res (itchy and scratchy) have a habit of nipping at everything in the tank, except for the wires to the filter and heater, thank god. is this a sign of a potential problem or is this normal behavior? they aren't acting strangely and they are eating really well.

Totally normal!

Cuttle is a good idea & you can also throw some romaine or green lettuce in the tank for them to bite/nibble at. Chances are, they are just bored.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 6:34 pm

thanks for tips

. i dusted the pellets with some crushed cuttle bone. they are going to eat it if they like or not. someone mentioned about not putting a glass thermometer in the tank

, so i guess i better buy another thermometer, huh? since i have a glass one in there.

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:38 pm

Or you can keep the glass one and only put it in to check to water temperature (a couple of minute's should give you a reading) every now and then

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:11 pm

good idea

General Care Discussion :: my turtle bites at everything in the tank

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