Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a wild RES from a park that was brought home agaisnt her will by children. She looks healthy and is fed very well. But she doesnt want to be in her tank (which is a plastic). I dont have a light source but I use turtle shell cream, and keep her outside in the sun. When I put her home at night she goes nuts and keeps trying to get out so I leave her running around in my room. Now she refuses to go back to her water. Except to eat and [bleep]! Please if someone ever had this problem tell me what you did to get your turtle to listen!!
Thanks =0)

How big is this plastic tank? The rule of thumb is ten gallons of water per inch of turtle. You need a light source and a basking area if this is to be her home. It sounds like she should just be returned to where she was found, but if you are going to keep her, please get her a proper setup.
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Thank You, I have a Blue heat light coming in the mail. What kind of rocks or substrate do you use, and how do you clean it?

My tank is 55 gallons and it has a few pieces of slate on the bottom and a few river rocks. I have a Fluval canister filter, so the water is always clean. I clean the filter twice a year and change some of the water every few months. Other than that there is no cleaning, I have a couple snails that take care of the algae. The blue heat bulbs aren't really necessary, any light bulb will do for heat. If you are going to continue bringing her outside everyday you don't need a UVB light, but if you want to be able to leave her in the tank full time you need a flourescent tube UVB bulb, such as a Reptisun 5.0.
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Set her up in a larger environment with a filter and lighting and a basking area and leave her in there. She will be fine.

Shell cream is not really something you should bother with. If you leave her in the sun outside she is getting lots of natural UV lighting which is a very good thing but be sure that she has some water to dive into and a partial shaded area so she does not bake in the hot sun.

Steve

is the play station on when she sits on it? i know that my iguana loves to hang out on the back of the computer monitor because it is very warm. so, maybe she is trying to get warm? also, when you put her in her tank, is there any type of dry spot for her to climb out of the water? if not there should be. maybe that is why she freaks out because she is unable to get out of the water? and the others are right, a dry basking spot in the 80`s is necessary for your turtle to be healthy. its great that you have been taking her outside! there is no substitute for the sun. having a uvb tube that is 10 inches from her basking spot is still a good idea, because its kinda like plan B. say you get really busy ( like with finals, like me) and are unable to take you turtle outside for a couple of days, then you don`t have to worry because the uvb is in her tank. taking her outside is definitely preferred but a uvb tube is also good to have.

meagan

Thank you guys, your advice is really appreciated.