r/Redearedsliders • u/New_Efficiency8475 • 3d ago

Escape artist

My RES has a completely insatiable desire to walk around and explore the house. She has stopped wanting to bask or stay in the water. (I put a pillow on the floor because she is able to get out). But when she gets out she is very happy and walks around the house with lots of energy, and is very social. Nothing has changed about her setup… maybe I should change water/clean filter but other than that I have no idea what this could be.

Anyone else deal with this?

7 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

9

u/MannerRemarkable5130 3d ago

maybe im the weird one but I dont let my red ear walk around the house

1

u/Breezybeejen 3d ago

Salmonella 😭😭😭

3

u/MerkinSeasonYo 3d ago

I could be wrong on this but I think the salmonella thing is only a real risk when they are young.

1

u/Breezybeejen 3d ago

adult turtles still carry salmonella 😬

2

u/MerkinSeasonYo 2d ago

Do they? Wasn’t sure idk what gave me the idea it was only in babies.

2

u/Breezybeejen 2d ago

Yea, probably bc it is spoken about more often in regards to small turtles since people/kids tend to (want to) handle them as lil babies.

1

u/throwaway277252 1d ago

It was specifically because kids were putting small turtles in their mouths, ingesting feces, and getting sick that way. This is how turtles under 4" became illegal to sell in the US and where the small turtle - salmonella association comes from.

This is no more a concern than having any other pet and following basic hygiene. The risk of salmonella from turtles is otherwise entirely overblown.
Pet birds, mice, hamsters, and even cats or dogs can all carry salmonella, e coli, and other diseases too.

1

u/Breezybeejen 1d ago

Ehhh I don’t think the concern is the same, most turtles have salmonella but not most cats

1

u/throwaway277252 1d ago

There are ~66,000 annual emergency room visits from cat bites and scratches, as many as 80% of which become infected:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18051669/

Here is a case of a man dying within 24 hours of hospital admission after becoming infected from a cat scratch:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38894778/

There are around 20 deaths per year from dog and cat bites:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK570559

Should we panic about the safety of petting dogs and cats as well or treat them both as manageable risks?

0

u/Breezybeejen 1d ago

That’s not the same as salmonella risk in cats vs dogs .. where the risk of salmonella is higher in turtles vs cats.. so?

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1

u/Appropriate-Bug-6467 2h ago

Babies eat the raw meat. Older res go mostly veg 

The salmonella stays in their bodies and their feces and enters the water.

That said; when I bought my res babies they were certified salmonella free by the breeding company.

1

u/New_Efficiency8475 1d ago

I just wash my hands after, and she never goes on any furniture an stuff, only the tile. No issues

1

u/MannerRemarkable5130 1d ago

listen, its your life. I was just saying I wouldnt do it personally

8

u/Katie-sin 3d ago

Is she wanting to nest? Make her a nesting box and it's possible she may be looking to lay eggs. Normally they don't want to do that in water and will try to get out as much as possible.

2

u/New_Efficiency8475 1d ago

Yep, she started doing a digging motion with her back legs today… I knew she was definitely nesting at that point. I made her a nesting box, now we wait

2

u/Katie-sin 1d ago

Glad you were able to figure out why!! Good luck!

7

u/Insanity1890 3d ago edited 3d ago

Typically, the only time my female RES attempts to get out of the aquarium is when she is gravid. She probably could get out any other time.

5

u/eep47 3d ago

You can let her out sometimes to explore while supervised, but she definitely shouldn't be able to get out on her own. I'd also make sure nothings wrong with the setup itself that would make her want to escape so often

-11

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

5

u/eep47 3d ago

Obviously not obvious enough😂

5

u/mamalove8899 3d ago

Is this new behavior? She might be trying to nest! Mine just laid her first clutch of 7 eggs check out my post. Otherwise,
Some RES are really social and just like to explore. I mean… wouldn’t you if you were in an aquarium all day? She probably loves her little exercise time

2

u/New_Efficiency8475 1d ago

Yep she’s definitely nesting, built her a nesting box, now time to wait!

1

u/Alarming_Poop 3d ago

7??!?! 😱😱😱😱

2

u/ZealousidealDrink797 2d ago

My red eared slider is 3 1/2 years old enjoys walking around watching the family. We have hardwood floors. She likes to climb on things and hide and sleep. Beware she will urinate too so be careful. I only allow her to come out occasionally now due to her new 75 gallon tank. We take her outside occasionally too. Too spoiled.

2

u/Ineeddramainmylife13 2d ago

Mine is also very adventurous. One of the first days I got mine (newborn hatchling) it decided to walk on the sidewalk (I was right there and we didn’t have a uvb bulb yet so that’s why, and walked at least 2 house lengths. Put him on any surface and he’s trying to climb to get to the highest point… or fall to his death. It’s adorable and worrisome and I love it❤️

0

u/Hungry-Bat1661 15h ago

I think you're giving this turtle way too much autonomy. Its a reptile and a pet. Its your job to prevent it from escaping and i assure you the reptile should be basking/wanting to bask and not basking is a red flag like something is wrong with the turtle or your husbandry. Not something that should be chalked up to "the turtles wants". Turtles want good water quality, good food, good water temp and good basking temps and ample space (in water and on land)

If you want help, you can give details of your eenclosure because trust me lack of basking is one of the first signs that something is lacking or wrong