Turtles are prone to splashing around their tank from time to time, this is quite normal for these animals.
The splashing around can be lovely and engaging if it happens from time to time but if you observe your pet doing this more than normal then you may start to worry.
This article looks into why your turtle won’t stop splashing.
My turtle won’t stop splashing:
A change in your turtle’s activity and how much your pet turtle splashes around will understandably worry you.
Here is why this may be happening with your turtle:
It wants attention:
One reason why your turtle may be splashing around may be because the animal wants attention.
These animals don’t have many ways of communicating that they want attention so they will splash around as a way of communicating that they want attention.
The animal may want attention because it wants to socialize with you or it may want attention because it sees you as a source of food and wants to get food from you when you come into the room.
What to do:
If you’re feeding your pet turtle enough food then you don’t have to feed it when it acts like this. If you overfeed it then it will become overweight and this can be dangerous for the animal
What you can do is socialize and play with your pet if it gets excited and splashes around when you come around
If the water splashing around in your pet’s tank is getting everywhere then you can simply put a piece of cardboard on top of the tank to keep the water from escaping. Doing this may even calm the animal down a bit.
The turtle is gravid:
Another reason why your turtle may be splashing around may be because the animal is gravid. Turtles don’t become pregnant they become gravid.
Female turtles lay eggs even when they have not mated with a male. The eggs that an unmated female lays will not be viable but the female will still lay them.
Gravid turtles will usually have swelling around the top of their back legs, they will try to dig around with their back legs, they will experience lethargy, will pace, have a lack of appetite, and will try to get out of their tank.
What to do:
If you suspect that your female turtle wants to lay eggs then you’d need to create an environment where she can lay eggs in.
To do this find a container like a small trash can or a bucket and fill it with sandy soil. Use at least 10 inches of sandy soil.
Once the soil is ready allow your pet to have 3-4 hours in the soil during the day and leave the animal in this soil overnight.
The female turtle should lay her eggs in the soil eventually, this will only take a few nights. Turtles usually lay their eggs at night.
Getting your pet turtle to lay eggs when she needs to is a must. If the turtle does not lay eggs when she needs to then she may become egg bound. Turtles who are egg-bound can develop infections, organ damage, and even death.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtle Lethargic?, Why Is My Turtle Bloated?, Red Worms In My Turtle Tank, My Turtle Was Upside Down, My Turtles Eyes Are Sunken, My Turtle Keeps Wiping His Face, My Turtle Egg Has A Dent In It, My Turtle Keeps Rubbing His Eyes, My Turtle Eats A Lot,