General Care Discussion

I have a 2 year-old RES, and until this summer he was generally active, basking under the lamp and occasionally outside etc.

As he's grown, I've gradually increased the size of his tank. He's now 12cm long and in a 50cmx40cm plastic container. Maybe he's not so happy as the sides are translucent so he can't see out and feels a little "closed in"? He has a few large rocks and a "cave" on which he can walk to bask under the lamp.

During the summer I don't use a heater. The water temperature sits around 75-80F. This summer has been very warm, and the room temperature often gets very hot and humid during the day (from a minimum of 80F up to a daily maximum of maybe 95F or even 100F at times).

For a month or two now he has constantly been trying to hide, keeps his head in the cave (his body is now too big to fit), and if I take him out to let him walk around he immediately tries to find a dark place. If I put him outside in a small tank for some direct sun he struggles and tries to escape (even the shade seems too bright).

All day and night he seems to sleep, head hidden, and only comes out to eat. He's eating maybe once every 3 days, in smaller quantites than usual.

I live in a 1-room apartment, and his tank is in the most shaded corner I have. There is no other place I can put his tank.

There is a local park with a pond full of RES which I've considered taking him, but many owners seem to be so against releasing a pet turtle that I'm reluctant to do this, even though he's only 2 years old and he may well have been born at the park anyway. A friend found him as a tiny hatchling walking along a road nearby, so I adopted him.

I want him to be happy, that's all, and if he'd be happier free with other turtles in a big pond I'd far prefer that than keeping him here. The park is very popular and many people buy pellets to feed the turtles there. I can also visit the park to feed the turtles myself.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Can you post a picture of his tank? When was the last time you changed the tank? It's not unusual for some RES to want to hide when out of the tank.

It's a translucent white plastic storage container like the one on the Habitat page: http://www.redearslider.com/tanks.html

I last changed it (to a larger size) about 3 months ago.

What was he in before? Does he get any interaction? Is the tank on a stand or on the floor?

Nothing has changed except the size of the tank and the temperature of the room. The tank is on the same low table (15 inches off the floor) in the same position as it always has been.

There are no other turtles, he lives alone. I am often in the room but don't directly interact with him a lot, although he can hear and see me most of the time over the rim of the container if he stands on top of the basking cave. And he can vaguely see me (I guess) through the translucent sides of the tank.

That said, it must be a really boring life compared to being free in a big pond in a park with other turtles and trees and reeds and rocks.

But as I said, I wonder if he doesn't like the translucent sides of the tank and feels bored and isolated as he grows older...or whether he's too hot, or something else.

Have you measure the temperatures on the basking area?

While we can imagine a park pond would be preferable, it's not a good idea for a captive turtle. Perhaps a private pond would be better... but you would need to find someone who takes the necessary care and precautions.

Thanks for you comments Steve.

The basking area is usually around 90F, but in summer as I say the whole room often hits 100F. And his water in summer is around 85F all the time, so he has nowhere to really cool off. I wondered if this might be the cause of his behaviour.

I understand what you say about a private pond - is that mainly to ensure he can get enough food (as he has never had to hunt for his own before)?

I would think its simply too warm. A private pond to mainly offer protection. Is there any way you can run an AC?

General Care Discussion :: Turtle lethargic, always trying to hide - in summer!

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