Turtles have different personalities, some are cool calm, and collected and some are more energetic. If you seem to have an energetic turtle, if your pet loves splashing around, then you may wonder why this is
This article is a look into why your turtle seems to be splashing around so much
Table of Contents
Why does my turtle keep splashing?
Understanding why your turtle does certain things is very helpful to any turtle owner. Knowing what different turtle behaviors mean will help you figure out if it’s something to be worried about or not.
Here is a look into why your turtle keeps splashing:
Begging for food:
One of the reasons why your turtle may be splashing all over the place may be because the animal is begging for food.
Turtles are known to beg you for food even when they are not hungry. They see you as a source of food, or they associate you with feeding time, and get excited, and splash, when you come around.
What to do:
The splashing may be the animal’s way of trying to get food from you but you should not give in, only feed your pet as much food as it’s supposed to eat.
If you always feed your pet when it begs for food then the animal will start to pick up excess weight, to avoid this only feed them what they need to eat.
Remember these animals will beg for food even when they are not hungry so don’t feed bad not feeding them when they beg
Stress:
Another reason why your turtle may be splashing may be that the animal is stressed. These animals are actually very sensitive and can quickly become stressed.
The animal could become stressed if it sees its reflection in the tank glass and gets spooked thinking it is another turtle. It can also get spooked if it sees your cat or dog.
The cause of stress can also be incorrect water temperature. If the water temperature is incorrect this can make the animal uncomfortable and the animal may splash to get out
What to do:
Check in the area that there isn’t something spooking your turtle, something like another pet. If another pet is spooking your turtle then separate the two.
If your pet’s reflection is spooking it then you may want to put tape on the outside of your pet’s tank
You may also need to check the water parameters of your pet’s tank to make sure everything is optimal, if not then change the conditions in the tank
Attention seeking:
If your pet is splashing it may be trying to get your attention because it is bored.
These animals aren’t always too social but when they are they will splash to get your attention. They may also hit the glass to get your attention as well
What to do:
If your pet wants attention from you give it to it, it won’t need much time and you can go about your day afterward.
If you want to quieten your pet down you can cover the glass of the tank
The female wants to lay:
If you’re raising a female turtle, and it suddenly starts splashing, then your pet may simply want to lay some eggs.
These animals can get angsty when they want to lay and one change in the behavior of laying turtles is splashing about.
What to do:
You can check to see if your female turtle is about to lay by checking to see for swellings around the top back of her legs, if you see these then she may want to lay
Provide a nesting area for your pet. The nesting area should be in a separate plastic box that is securely fixed to the tank.
Line the box with soil, compost, or a mix of 50/50 sand and compost, and cover it with moss sphagnum or something similar.
The box and the soil should be deep enough for the turtle to climb into, (about 12 inches deep, or bigger,) lay and cover her eggs.
Make sure that the soil/compost is wet enough that it can hold the tunnel that she digs, but it shouldn’t be too wet.