Habitat - Indoor :: Can't swim

[mom crush]

I have had my RED for over a year, soon after getting her from a owner that had forgot about her, i was happy to have her with me but was new to the whole "turtle" thing. Now after a year I still have a concern. She will not swim!!!!!! I have a 50 gallon tank that if I full more than a 1/4 way up she stresses that she can not reach the bottom. Do I just keep the tank the way she is ok with it or are there any suggestions. I have tried to teach her how to swim and she will push off the bottom but can not go up for air. Besides this she is growing, happy, loves the outdoors and runs around the house like she owns it. Any ideas????

[Caphits]

Please don't post 2 topics on the exact same thing. Thanks!

[ilcapo21]

Ouch Caphits....

Try gradually raising the water maybe a half in or so a week, and adjust your basking spot as the level rises. Create many places she can land on to rest, and some near the top so she can rest, and breath. I rescued a 1in RES living in a tupper ware container with 1cm of water, and thats it, when i put it in the 29gallon it had no concept of swimming, but after a while it caught on, and now its doing great.

[akaghettoraver]

cafit don't be so rude to people with a question on turtle keeping its comments like yours that drives people from posting and bettering the turtle habits. If you have nothing good to say then SHUT UP!!!

[laurapa]

Our turtle couldn't swim very well either when we first got him. He had been kept in low water his whole life.

We tried to teach him how to swim but nothing worked until we put a piece of lettuce at the top of the water. Oliver stared and stared at that lettuce and finally put up the effort to get to the top and devour it. We didn't help him that time - he learned it all on his own.

At first he couldn't hold his butt up (he still isn't great at it), but he learned new strokes over the weeks and was soon swimming like a pro.

So...fill up your tank a lot more than usual and put something yummy and floaty in there! Watch how she learns!

[jozzep]

Laurapa and ilcapo both have great suggestions, but i would advise to keep an out at all times while keeping the water level high, and lower it again when you are not around to avoid the poor turtle from drowning.Once he has learned you're good to go.

[theartbook35]

One of my turtles knew how to swim, but was easily spooked by deep water.

So, one day, I put her in their little 1 gallon carrier, scooped my hand under her, and just bounced her up and down until she started kicking her legs. Then, I put her back in her normal tank, with water three inches deep and plenty of safe zones for her. After a few hours she got over herself and started diving and submerging.

After that I raised the water level by an inch every day. She seems to like water at only two levels now, super shallow, and super deep.