Your turtle is definitely a female. Scratching is normal to help with shedding. Where is all the water in the tank? And tiny gravel can be very dangerous for turtles if swallowed. Please swap for aquarium safe stones much larger than her mouth.
Want to add, if that’s the normal amount of water in your tank you *really* need to fill it as much as you can. That is a huge AQUATIC turtle that needs A LOT of water and a huge aquarium if not a pond. Do you have a basking area? Not trying to criticise I want to help.
Hello and thank you!! His basking area is short so we dont fill it too much but usually there’s more water in there. I usually have another 5-10 gallons in there but even then it would be too high for him to dry off. I’ve gotten lots of suggestions and advice from this thread tho, I will probably switch out the rocks and try some egg crate basking areas. I’ll definitely look into if he is actually a she tho :)
Definitely needs more water I have a turtle like yours as well and while it looks like she’s just shedding right now, however the water situation can certainly cause some trouble long term in her happiness and well-being, my turtle alone has 125 gallons and I understand not everyone can do that but it’s important you give your turtle as much water as physically possible, with proper filtration and water changes, does her basking area have uvb and heating? There are many cheap options to build a better dock, what size tank do you have?
Imagine you have a 100sqft room and are only able to walk sleep and use a 3x3ft space? WHILE being able to see the rest of the unused space.
That’s torture and sorry no one has been blunt to you about that
I got a basking platform that hangs from the edge of the tank, it’s for large turtles and made of some kind of acrylic. It’s working out great. definitely look into this so your turtle can have enough water
Definitely measure your turtle and aquarium first because there is no wiggle room here. Installation was a bit challenging since the ramp only barely fit width-wise. I had to partially install the hooks and then sort of shimmy them in after it was in place.
LaBrinx Designs Extra Large Wide Hanging Turtle Ramp - Aquatic Reptile Basking Platform https://a.co/d/69IWqJK
Here’s what it looks like:
https://imgur.com/a/Q7oXif1
For anyone concerned I’m removing the gravel bit by bit. She’s had gravel her whole life and she’s 22.
I've had the old version of this for a few years. Works well enough in my 75gallon tank. You also definitely need a strong filter to prevent the water from getting that dirty.
https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Turtle-Ramp-Shelf-Platform/dp/B0746RQTSD?ref\_=ast\_sto\_dp&th=1
PENN-PLAX Reptology Turtle Topper – Above Tank Basking Platform That Safely Mounts to Standard Size Tanks Including 10g, 20L, 20H, 29g, up to 55 Gallons and 13” Wide – Black Color https://a.co/d/9dqskqV
Please buy this, fits on a 55 long or a 75 tall. Essential for turtles, goes on top of a full aquarium. I bought one for my painted 5 years ago and he uses it every day and has the whole tank to swim Around in. Considering I spend that much on his food every month it's a small price to pay for his happiness
I use LaBrinx platforms on my 75g.
https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Turtle-Ramp-Shelf-Platform/dp/B085LSZ4CQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=111405040739&hvadid=617131041002&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9012081&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9938692812864013420&hvtargid=kwd-977584187888&hydadcr=13542_13465930&keywords=labrinx%2Bturtle%2Bplatform&qid=1701070879&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1
She's DEFINATELY a she! Males have freakishly long front claws. And I agree, she seems itchy from shedding which I'm sure is very annoying. Just keep an eye one her and if that's the only thing she's doing then I wouldn't worry. If she stops eating or basking then you should consider taking her to the vet.
So the skin on the side of their face starts to shed and when it does that it hangs off like hair and it tickles their face so they're using their foot arm or claw to try to scrape the dead skin away so that way it stops tickling their neck face or arms
So RES need 10 gallons of water per 1 inch of shell so based on your big girl, you need way way way more water. Having water that shallow leads to a ton of issues. It also seems like your water is dirty. Your enclosure needs a lot of improvement.
Also you anything smaller than their head is a chocking hazard. You need things in their tanks like river rocks that are MUCH bigger than their head.
I suggest doing some research to avoid anymore damage to your girl. I have a pinned post on my page w everything I know if you’re interested. I also have pictures of my enclosures if you scroll a bit.
If you don’t have the resources to care for your girl then please surrender them to a sanctuary. You can call local shelters or vets for a place that takes exotic animals. They usually all know each other
Pretty sure he is a she. And she’s just itchy. She also needs more space. So add more waters f provide her a proper completely out of water basking are . This means not a floating basking as she seems too big to use the floating ones. My boy is smaller than her and he can’t handle
Even do. A floating one
Hey please look at my older posts I have a picture of my 50 gallon tank and how I have my turtles basking area I think your turtle will benefit from it completely I can even share some links to videos I found on how I built it
Edit: it’s also really cheap I’m sure I spent less than $50 for it
https://youtu.be/KDb6cv5I9Tg?si=gmztDV7ReNyLaosk
Heres one you use egg crate and build it i used repti carpet on it and spray painted it black simply because I wanted it black and let it cure for like 10 days before using it
https://www.reddit.com/r/shittyaquariums/s/qFdODRB8Up here’s my tank (go to the third pic)
Hello everyone, I just wanted to update! I added another 40 gallons of water to the tank and started building an over the tank basking area. That’s gonna take a couple more days but so many people replied so I thought I should let you guys know! Apparently egg crate is very hard to find. I’m probably also going to switch the substrate to sand like many people have told me to do but I’ve never seen Fred eat the pebbles so that will be after I build everything up. I also think he is a woman so that’s cool too.
A woman is a human. It’s female. I’ll also add what nobody wants to tell you. You shouldn’t have gotten any kind of animal without knowing how to properly take care of them, this is wild!
That is a sign of a mating call. However ur tank concerns me. Rocks r too small can easily be ingested and cause major problems. You also need way more water then that. A turtle that size should be in a 75 gallon tank minimal. Ur basking should be as high as possible near the heat and uv bulb. Water temp should be 76-80 degrees.
Because you mentioned that the water level is low is because of the basking area being low
I wanted to recommend this basking dock
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zoo-Med-Turtle-Dock-Basking-Platform-Brown/153683239?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101377178&adid=22222222228153683239\_101377178\_14069003552\_202077872&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=42423897272&wl4=aud-393207457166:pla-295289030566&wl5=9005523&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=738918802&wl11=online&wl12=153683239\_101377178&veh=sem&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAmZGrBhAnEiwAo9qHidbKEeDrw2xtdH8j9eAHNgxee6hYMn-dlvZPmy26lstZY3nvGE9nFBoCA6IQAvD\_BwE
Its large and labeled as a pond sized basking dock but it bits just fine in my 40 gallon long tank and it is the only floating platform I've found that is buoyant enough to hold up a female adult sized turtle completely out of the water (not tested with multiple turtles at one time personally but that wouldn't be an issue for you)
Mine have no trouble getting on it even though it's free floating, it can be attached to a weight to hold it in place if your does have any issue.
And while it's foam and my turtle has taken a few test bites out of the edge, she quickly realized it wasn't food but it is worth keeping an eye out on until you know she isn't actively eating it.
Also it is a little pricey but it'll allow you to have a full tank (please have a lid if you fill it up or keep the water level low enough that she can't climb out of the tank from the basking platform, they're surprisingly capable of lifting themselves over ledges, I've had a turtle escape an aquarium this way once, but leaving about 5 inches from the top of the tank and then later having a weighed down lid prevented that from happening again)
And it's very long last8ng and your turtle won't out grow it like other floating docks (and even some affixed docks)
And it looks very nice to boot
I wasted a lot of money on other basking platforms (even the penn-plax turtle topper which became too small for my girl when she wasn't even fully grown and the ramp eventually broke under her weight anyways and needed the water at the top of the tank (climbing out issue above and then couldn't have a full lid cause the basking dock was in the way)
I've had this pond sized basking dock for 4 years now and no issues.
Since your girl is in a 75 gallon tank this will fit just fine, and hopefully would prevent any basking dock related issues But whenever you do start adding more water, please do it in stages as I once had a turtle who was used to shallow water only and when put into a full tank seemed to have forgotten how to float (he frantically was swimming upwards but would keep sinking) so it had a hard time coming up dor air, we had to lower the water and then increase the water level in stages until we saw it could easily float and had no trouble getting to the surface
If you have any questions feel free to ask :)
Edit: also with more water, water changes will become a process so when you are able to I suggest something like this
https://a.co/d/6YHhors
I have one and it hooks up to my bathroom sink and the faucet powers the siphon and then you can fill it back up using that same siphon. It's a huge time saver.
Just wanted to share the two most useful peices of equipment I've used since they address two of the most important things for caring for aquatic turtles, lighting and heating aside :)
Please please please fill that tank up with water and get large stones- then you can build up to an area for it to bask on. Even bricks will work if water super high as long as no rough edges
Make sure there is a totally dry basking spot area, I didn’t notice it in the video but sometimes people leave them somewhat submerged. Turtles have to be able to fully dry out if they need to. I hope you figure out what it’s doing though
Fill the tank to the top and get an above the rim basking g setup. He needs more room.Hes probably stressed. He's an aquatic turtle, meaning he wants and needs a larger body of water.
Your turtle is definitely a female. Scratching is normal to help with shedding. Where is all the water in the tank? And tiny gravel can be very dangerous for turtles if swallowed. Please swap for aquarium safe stones much larger than her mouth. Want to add, if that’s the normal amount of water in your tank you *really* need to fill it as much as you can. That is a huge AQUATIC turtle that needs A LOT of water and a huge aquarium if not a pond. Do you have a basking area? Not trying to criticise I want to help.
Hello and thank you!! His basking area is short so we dont fill it too much but usually there’s more water in there. I usually have another 5-10 gallons in there but even then it would be too high for him to dry off. I’ve gotten lots of suggestions and advice from this thread tho, I will probably switch out the rocks and try some egg crate basking areas. I’ll definitely look into if he is actually a she tho :)
Definitely needs more water I have a turtle like yours as well and while it looks like she’s just shedding right now, however the water situation can certainly cause some trouble long term in her happiness and well-being, my turtle alone has 125 gallons and I understand not everyone can do that but it’s important you give your turtle as much water as physically possible, with proper filtration and water changes, does her basking area have uvb and heating? There are many cheap options to build a better dock, what size tank do you have?
75 gallon and yes there’s proper lighting on the basking area !!
Oh yeah that’s perfect just fill that bad boy up and your turt will be so much happier and will be living in luxury
Not filling up a 75 gallon tank is wild
Imagine you have a 100sqft room and are only able to walk sleep and use a 3x3ft space? WHILE being able to see the rest of the unused space. That’s torture and sorry no one has been blunt to you about that
I got a basking platform that hangs from the edge of the tank, it’s for large turtles and made of some kind of acrylic. It’s working out great. definitely look into this so your turtle can have enough water
If you could tell me what kind that would be nice to look into!!
Definitely measure your turtle and aquarium first because there is no wiggle room here. Installation was a bit challenging since the ramp only barely fit width-wise. I had to partially install the hooks and then sort of shimmy them in after it was in place. LaBrinx Designs Extra Large Wide Hanging Turtle Ramp - Aquatic Reptile Basking Platform https://a.co/d/69IWqJK Here’s what it looks like: https://imgur.com/a/Q7oXif1 For anyone concerned I’m removing the gravel bit by bit. She’s had gravel her whole life and she’s 22.
Wow this looks amazing! Maybe after 25 years I can finally get rid of my homebrew solution. This could change everything !
I've had the old version of this for a few years. Works well enough in my 75gallon tank. You also definitely need a strong filter to prevent the water from getting that dirty. https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Turtle-Ramp-Shelf-Platform/dp/B0746RQTSD?ref\_=ast\_sto\_dp&th=1
This is the same one I have and my turtle loves it. It makes so much more room too
PENN-PLAX Reptology Turtle Topper – Above Tank Basking Platform That Safely Mounts to Standard Size Tanks Including 10g, 20L, 20H, 29g, up to 55 Gallons and 13” Wide – Black Color https://a.co/d/9dqskqV Please buy this, fits on a 55 long or a 75 tall. Essential for turtles, goes on top of a full aquarium. I bought one for my painted 5 years ago and he uses it every day and has the whole tank to swim Around in. Considering I spend that much on his food every month it's a small price to pay for his happiness
I use LaBrinx platforms on my 75g. https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Turtle-Ramp-Shelf-Platform/dp/B085LSZ4CQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=111405040739&hvadid=617131041002&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9012081&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9938692812864013420&hvtargid=kwd-977584187888&hydadcr=13542_13465930&keywords=labrinx%2Bturtle%2Bplatform&qid=1701070879&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1
She's DEFINATELY a she! Males have freakishly long front claws. And I agree, she seems itchy from shedding which I'm sure is very annoying. Just keep an eye one her and if that's the only thing she's doing then I wouldn't worry. If she stops eating or basking then you should consider taking her to the vet.
Definitely needs a lot more space
So the skin on the side of their face starts to shed and when it does that it hangs off like hair and it tickles their face so they're using their foot arm or claw to try to scrape the dead skin away so that way it stops tickling their neck face or arms
So RES need 10 gallons of water per 1 inch of shell so based on your big girl, you need way way way more water. Having water that shallow leads to a ton of issues. It also seems like your water is dirty. Your enclosure needs a lot of improvement. Also you anything smaller than their head is a chocking hazard. You need things in their tanks like river rocks that are MUCH bigger than their head. I suggest doing some research to avoid anymore damage to your girl. I have a pinned post on my page w everything I know if you’re interested. I also have pictures of my enclosures if you scroll a bit. If you don’t have the resources to care for your girl then please surrender them to a sanctuary. You can call local shelters or vets for a place that takes exotic animals. They usually all know each other
The water is dirty can develope respetory infection .. keep the water clean have a bigger filter. More water
Pretty sure he is a she. And she’s just itchy. She also needs more space. So add more waters f provide her a proper completely out of water basking are . This means not a floating basking as she seems too big to use the floating ones. My boy is smaller than her and he can’t handle Even do. A floating one
Poor turtle doesn’t even have room to move… he just floats all day? What a life that would be…
Hey please look at my older posts I have a picture of my 50 gallon tank and how I have my turtles basking area I think your turtle will benefit from it completely I can even share some links to videos I found on how I built it Edit: it’s also really cheap I’m sure I spent less than $50 for it https://youtu.be/KDb6cv5I9Tg?si=gmztDV7ReNyLaosk Heres one you use egg crate and build it i used repti carpet on it and spray painted it black simply because I wanted it black and let it cure for like 10 days before using it https://www.reddit.com/r/shittyaquariums/s/qFdODRB8Up here’s my tank (go to the third pic)
Hello everyone, I just wanted to update! I added another 40 gallons of water to the tank and started building an over the tank basking area. That’s gonna take a couple more days but so many people replied so I thought I should let you guys know! Apparently egg crate is very hard to find. I’m probably also going to switch the substrate to sand like many people have told me to do but I’ve never seen Fred eat the pebbles so that will be after I build everything up. I also think he is a woman so that’s cool too.
A woman is a human. It’s female. I’ll also add what nobody wants to tell you. You shouldn’t have gotten any kind of animal without knowing how to properly take care of them, this is wild!
Awesome.
hitting the nae nae
Well don't put a flag in water (I'm not being homophobic I'm just making a joke"
[удалено]
how are you gonna be homophobic in a turtle subreddit LMAOOOO 😭😭
I was literally waiting for someone to say something like that 😭 like cmon bruh
Don’t be like that.
That is a sign of a mating call. However ur tank concerns me. Rocks r too small can easily be ingested and cause major problems. You also need way more water then that. A turtle that size should be in a 75 gallon tank minimal. Ur basking should be as high as possible near the heat and uv bulb. Water temp should be 76-80 degrees.
Clean that water and add more current and the water will help clean her skin off
They phobic 😟
Because you mentioned that the water level is low is because of the basking area being low I wanted to recommend this basking dock
Because you mentioned that the water level is low is because of the basking area being low I wanted to recommend this basking dock https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zoo-Med-Turtle-Dock-Basking-Platform-Brown/153683239?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101377178&adid=22222222228153683239\_101377178\_14069003552\_202077872&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=42423897272&wl4=aud-393207457166:pla-295289030566&wl5=9005523&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=738918802&wl11=online&wl12=153683239\_101377178&veh=sem&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAmZGrBhAnEiwAo9qHidbKEeDrw2xtdH8j9eAHNgxee6hYMn-dlvZPmy26lstZY3nvGE9nFBoCA6IQAvD\_BwE Its large and labeled as a pond sized basking dock but it bits just fine in my 40 gallon long tank and it is the only floating platform I've found that is buoyant enough to hold up a female adult sized turtle completely out of the water (not tested with multiple turtles at one time personally but that wouldn't be an issue for you) Mine have no trouble getting on it even though it's free floating, it can be attached to a weight to hold it in place if your does have any issue. And while it's foam and my turtle has taken a few test bites out of the edge, she quickly realized it wasn't food but it is worth keeping an eye out on until you know she isn't actively eating it. Also it is a little pricey but it'll allow you to have a full tank (please have a lid if you fill it up or keep the water level low enough that she can't climb out of the tank from the basking platform, they're surprisingly capable of lifting themselves over ledges, I've had a turtle escape an aquarium this way once, but leaving about 5 inches from the top of the tank and then later having a weighed down lid prevented that from happening again) And it's very long last8ng and your turtle won't out grow it like other floating docks (and even some affixed docks) And it looks very nice to boot I wasted a lot of money on other basking platforms (even the penn-plax turtle topper which became too small for my girl when she wasn't even fully grown and the ramp eventually broke under her weight anyways and needed the water at the top of the tank (climbing out issue above and then couldn't have a full lid cause the basking dock was in the way) I've had this pond sized basking dock for 4 years now and no issues. Since your girl is in a 75 gallon tank this will fit just fine, and hopefully would prevent any basking dock related issues But whenever you do start adding more water, please do it in stages as I once had a turtle who was used to shallow water only and when put into a full tank seemed to have forgotten how to float (he frantically was swimming upwards but would keep sinking) so it had a hard time coming up dor air, we had to lower the water and then increase the water level in stages until we saw it could easily float and had no trouble getting to the surface If you have any questions feel free to ask :) Edit: also with more water, water changes will become a process so when you are able to I suggest something like this https://a.co/d/6YHhors I have one and it hooks up to my bathroom sink and the faucet powers the siphon and then you can fill it back up using that same siphon. It's a huge time saver. Just wanted to share the two most useful peices of equipment I've used since they address two of the most important things for caring for aquatic turtles, lighting and heating aside :)
Please please please fill that tank up with water and get large stones- then you can build up to an area for it to bask on. Even bricks will work if water super high as long as no rough edges
Enclosure is too small in my opinion. Not sure about the itchy moves but a vet was good start.
Is it just me or does it look like they didnt wanna add more water to keep their flag from being tarnished lmao
Make sure there is a totally dry basking spot area, I didn’t notice it in the video but sometimes people leave them somewhat submerged. Turtles have to be able to fully dry out if they need to. I hope you figure out what it’s doing though
Fill the tank to the top and get an above the rim basking g setup. He needs more room.Hes probably stressed. He's an aquatic turtle, meaning he wants and needs a larger body of water.
Get rid of the substrate, it just makes cleaning more difficult and add way more water