Our turtles may not be able to tell us why they do certain things, but you as a turtle owner don’t have to be out of the loop on why your turtle does certain things.
If you are wondering why your pet turtle seems to enjoy digging in the rocks then this article is for you
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Why is my turtle digging in the rocks?
There are various reasons why your pet turtle is digging in the rocks, and some reasons may be quite the surprise to you.
Here is why your pet turtle may be digging in the rocks:
Egg laying:
If your pet is digging in the rocks, and if your pet turtle is female, then the animal may be digging in the rocks because it is trying to find a place to lay her eggs in.
Turtles don’t get pregnant and give birth to live young like humans do, they lay eggs and these eggs hatch when ready.
These eggs, if not fertilized, will not hatch. But if your have a male and female turtle living together then the eggs may hatch.
What to do:
If your pet turtle does not find a suitable place to lay her eggs then the animal may retain her eggs, egg retention can lead to health issues or even death in the animal.
If you think that this is what is happening with your turtle then you would need to provide your pet with a suitable egg-laying site where she can dig and lay when she needs to.
Boredom:
Another reason why your pet turtle may be digging up the rocks is that the turtle is bored and/or wants to escape.
If your pet’s enclosure is not complex enough for the turtle, or if the animal needs some change in the enclosure then your pet may try to dig at the rocks to go somewhere else.
These animals need mental and physical stimulation, if they don’t get it they may start to act erratically and may start digging up the rocks
What to do:
You can get rid of your pet’s desire to dig up rocks by increasing the complexity of their environment.
Do this by moving the decor in the enclosure around, adding more basking and hiding spots, and incorporating more live plants into the enclosure.
Just remember not to go overboard when you do this, too much of a change in the environment will cause the animal to become frightened and confused.
Looking for food:
Turtles are quite opportunistic feeders, they will eat anything they think is food, even when they have been adequately fed and even when they are full.
Your pet turtle may be digging in the rocks foraging and looking for food, food like crustaceans, in between the rocks.
If your pet digs the rocks up, chews on the rocks, and then spits them out then your pet may think that the rocks are snails and may be trying to eat them.
What to do:
Your pet will usually just spit the rocks out once it realizes that the rocks are not food.
If you’re worried about your turtle you can replace the current rocks that are in your pet’s enclosure with bigger rocks, use rocks that are substantially bigger than your pet’s head.
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 Does My Turtle Hiss At Me, Why Does My Turtle Pee On Me?, Why Is My Turtle A Picky Eater?, Why Is My Turtle Swimming Frantically?, Why Is My Turtle Panicking?, Why Does My Turtle Have A Lump On His Neck?, Why Does My Turtle Move His Rocks?, Why Is My Turtle Digging In The Sand?, Why Is My Turtle Burrowing?