Why does my red eared slider turtle keep biting and eating bits of the turtle dock

Question

i have a female red eared turtle and lately she has been biting off and most likely eating little pieces of the turtle dock. everyday there are hundreds of little tiny pieces of turtle dock floating in the water. i don't want her to get poisoned or clogged up from eating this stuff. oh and the turtle dock has alot of algae growing on the top of it

why is she doing this?

how do i get her to stop?

Answer 1

Are you providing her with small scaled live fish, and fresh green leafy water plants and vegetables which keep her 'beak' (mouth) fit and trimmed?

Turtles will 'crib' (gnaw/chew) things to keep their beak from overgrowning if their diet isn't providing enough roughage to keep the vital cutting tool in shape.

Does she have a bird cuttle bone in the water?  Not only does this provide needed calcium, but it can help to keep the beak in shape.  Even if she doesn't chew it - it adds calcium.

If you are providing these necessary things - turtles are curious, and can be destructive.  When floating dock damage begins, it's time to think of other options.  You might want to peek out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxGhdVKJj... as an alternative to her present arrangement.

Good luck, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 2

i think that she is doing that because she doesn't have enough calcium in her diet. Does she have cuttlebones in her tank? Also you need to dust her food with a calcium supplement so she has a healthy shell. Also check and see if you have this setup. read all of this and see if you have this setup, it costs at least $300, and is a regular setup. All the stuff is expensive!- Really, you have to be very responsible to own a pet turtle, because they are a huge responsibility. You have to be a loving, caring person who is willing to care for a turtle every single day! Really it is a big job for some people, but if you are willing to accept the challenge then go for it.

************ This is a setup for a red eared slider the most common type of turtle, they get up to 12 inches, but you will see them as babies at a store commonly, so know that they will grow very big**************

You will need to get a 50 gallon starter tank and upgrade to a 75 gallon later on when your turtle is over 6 inches...If you can not get that big of a tank right now then for now you can use a huge rubbermaid container filled up with clean warm water 5/6 of the way. The water should be 75-82F, that can be achieved by buying a water heater at the petstore, along with a water filter. Water filters that are best are canister filters, like the Rena xp3 filter which costs $200, but filters very well. Do buy a filter please, even a cheap one at $25, is better then none at all, since turtles are extremely messy and p**p-ful (haha). The bottom of the tank should be bare, no gravel because they could choke on that mistaking it for food. On top of the water you need 3 things, 1. a basking dock ( buy a large size zoomed basking dock). 2. you 100% need to buy a basking lamp+bulb, you buy them separatly, then s***w the bulb in ( 50 watts) and shine it on the basking dock over a mesh hood( cut a hole out of it and place the light there!). 3. This is very important, you need a uvb light. It is a long thin light, you need to get the actual lamp+ the long skinny bulb. Reptosun 5.0 is the best bulb( together costs $55). Shine that onto the basking dock as well. Turtles need these together because they use the uva for heat, so they stay warm ( the basking site should be 90-95F, not colder) and they need the uvb rays to metabolize calcium and vitamin d3 for a stronger shell ( like you need it for your bones!) The diet for the turtle should be reptomin pellets ( and other nutricuos pellets!) crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, shrimp, and krill. All of this is found dead at the petstore!;) They also need vegetation, get kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and collard greens. Drop all of the food in the tank once a day, and remove any leftover bits after a few hours. By the way ALL of the protien food ( dead food, that was alive once) should be dusted with a calcium supplement ( powder) and you need to get a cuttlebone found in the bird aisle of the petstore and drop it in the water for him to knaw on, keep it there for a while (month) until she eats all of it, then get another. Once all of these things are done your turtle will be pretty happy!  

Answer 3

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

Their tank is too small, how big is it? They usually start biting , fighting and eating things when they are mad. watch the littlest of the turtles for bites on legs and tails and outer shell. These guys when fighting for space and or food go cannibalistic and will kill. I see it on this site almost daily.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light for  8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that  they need to grow.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

You need a good filter system!

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily.

They need leafy greens for vitamins at least 3 to 4 times a week.

And a big tank 55 gallons or more..

Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold. **Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat.

Just in case..Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com, for a turtle vet in your city and state.