Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I used to keep my softy in a tank without any sand. He was very active, swimming around, asking for food etc. Recently I put a sand layer (reading the tank layout suggestion for a softy). He is now hiding under the sand all the time day and night (only the edge of his nose is sticking out) without even asking for food. I don’t like it at all. Good old softy has gone away. Is it really necessary to keep the sand layer? Is this behavior going to change? Is this behavior strange? Please advise.

If your turtle is "asking for food"..... there are some problems.

Sand isn't needed. But if you give it... They will hide under it until it's time to come up for air.
-----
Mike
http://www.freewebs.com/badyear2005
Check it out ^ Loss for loss for my year.

i didnt use sand in my softies tank. when i tried it it burned out a filter in one day, there are ways to get around that, but since they can do fine without it i wouldnt use it.

As always youve been a great help!

Thanks a lot for the response. After your advice I think I will remove the sand. Please clarify what can be wrong? When I say "asking for food" I don’t mean he really says it!!!! I just mean that the turtle is going near a specific corner of the tank in a vertical position giving a sign that he requires food. Actually if a drop some food he eats! Is it strange? Please let me know since your message put me in worries (or the "ask" was the strange thing!). What do you really mean that something IS VERY WRONG?

i think he meant you are either craxy for hearing your turtles or he jokingly said that they have gotten so hungry they have to ask for food. either way it sounds fine. most turtles "beg" for food.

thank again reptileguy. I thought so but you never know if that was something serious. By the way I removed the sand and now my turtle is back to normal! (begging for food(!!) and moving around).

lol. I was just joking at the fact you said it was asking for food.
-----
Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.freewebs.com/badyear2005

IMO its better to have the sand.. after all, thats what they would live in naturally... my first concern for my turtles, or any of my herps, is to make thier captive environment as much like thier natural one would be as i can...

i used to have the entire bottom of my tank covered in sand and my turtle did pretty much the same thing as yours... i recently decided to change it a bit to give him more swimming room and accomodate a more powerful filter.. i took the sand out of the bottom and added a lot more water.. i bought a plastic sterilite shoebox sized container and cut a little entrance in the size so he can get in it, and filled it with sand.. its perched on top of two big fake treeroots i got from petsmart, at the top of the water... for some reason, he doesnt stay in it all the time.. hes out and about most of the day but goes in the little sandbox to sleep..

i dont think there is anything that will affect his health if you dont provide sand.. but they do enjoy hiding in it and it is a part of thier natural habitat.. just my opinion...
-----
my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, mossy treefrogs, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.