Where are water turtleS supposed to sleep at night?

vikas

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Water turtles usually lay at the bottom of their habitat to sleep. I have an inverted flower pot with a door cut out and my water turtle sleeps in the flower pot at the bottom of his pond.
Its my set up
heater, uvb bulb +filter, basking area.IMG_20181117_193419.jpeg
 

Moozillion

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Your turtle is a cutie! :)

They ALL appreciate having hiding places where they can relax and feel safe from predators. Their instinct for survival makes them want to hide in order to relax and feel safe. And that's a GOOD thing, because baby turtles especially are high quality protein sources for just about every animal out there from birds and mammals and even :eek: other bigger turtles!

There are lots of cave shaped aquarium "furniture" the you can buy for your turtle. Or like Yvonne did, made a cave out of flower pots and things like that. Just make sure the parts of the cave can't be pushed or rolled down so the animal is trapped.

My turtle's FAVORITE sleeping places have always been caves that are set up very near the SURFACE of the water. She really likes to be able to rest safely in her cave, but stick her head out and up to get a breath of air WITHOUT having to leave the safety of her cave. :)
 

Markw84

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Most all young aquatic turtles will sleep (and spend most of the time) hidden in thick plant growth in shallow water. They hang near the surface so they can just extend their neck to breathe and to bask they simply climb closer to the surface to let the sunshine reach them. The water in a mat of vegetation is also quite a bit warmer in the sun, and the take advantage of that warmer daytime water temperature. So for best results, and turtles that seem to act more naturally, I like to keep lots of floating plant "garlands" in the tank. I use the plastic fake garlands that look more natural. You will find your turtle will hang in that, near the surface to sleep. It also give them a place under the floating mat to scavange for food and still feel secure. As they get older, I reduce the amount of floating garland.

I would also recommend getting rid of the colored substrate pebbles. Turtles and tortoises have extremely good color vision (perhaps the best in the animal kingdom!) and use color vision extensively to discern foods and potential mates and threats. That colored bottom will very likely cause a lot of "confusion" and probably behavior adjustments for a turtle.
 
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