Turtle Removes All his Water From His Pool

richandmels

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I have a male Eastern America Box Turtle. I brought him home from a farm I worked at and have had him for six years. I know now it was a bad thing to do... but anyway, no going back. He occasionally does this thing where he decides to take all of his water out of his big soaking pond, it is about 9X11 inches with 2.5 inches of water. He is in a thirty gallon aquarium with that at one end. I will fill it with the water and when I go back to check he has taken every bit of water out of it and put it in his aquarium. He is a big, fat boy. Eats great, beautiful shell, always super healthy but I can not figure out 1) why he moves all his water and 2) how he is doing it. Sometimes he does it, sometimes he doesn’t.
 

Tom

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For one thing, his enclosure is way too small. He should be in something around 4x8 feet, not a tiny aquarium.
 

mark1

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I would guess he is trying to get under the dish …….. if the 30 gallon aquarium is a year round enclosure , I agree bigger would be better …….. living in virginia , if you have a yard , an appropriate outside pen can be made easily and cheaply …… much easier and way better to keep them outside ……...
 

richandmels

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Okay, i hear you, too small aquarium, which of course I am aware of and working on, now, any answers to my real question? And, no, he isn’t going under the container, it has a rock in it and in front of it. Like I said, I have had him for five years, I know him very well, I was just wondering how he is moving water from one place to the other and why he may be doing it. Any answers to that question are what I am looking for.
 

Yvonne G

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They like to sit in the water and fling it up over their back with the front legs. Maybe that's what he's doing. ???
 

richandmels

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They like to sit in the water and fling it up over their back with the front legs. Maybe that's what he's doing. ???
He is removing every drop, like down to it being almost dry. I think he is maybe trying to make mud to burrow in (at least that is my guess, but how???) In three days he has moved a total of at least four quarts of water.
 

Yvonne G

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Is it a clay plant saucer? If yes, then the water is probably weeping out slowly but surely. They don't hold water unless they're glazed on the outside. If no, then I don't know what to tell you!
 

richandmels

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Is it a clay plant saucer? If yes, then the water is probably weeping out slowly but surely. They don't hold water unless they're glazed on the outside. If no, then I don't know what to tell you!
Well, no, it is plastic, no leaks. Only happens occasionally. Since he likes to poop in his water I have to clean and refill it pretty regularly. He literally does this water removal in like an hour of time. Like I take the container outside, scrub it, bring it in, fill it and walk away and come back in the room a few hours later and all the water is out and in his cage. There is a paver in it to help him climb in and out, so it can not tip. I guess it is just a mystery forever. I just wish I knew if he was sucking the water in and spitting it out. Was mainly hoping this was common and somebody would have an answer.
 

newboxiemama

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Mine likes to spend the day burying her water in dirt until there is a large mountain in the middle and all the water has been soaked up :confused:?
 

enchilada

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When substrate is overlapping or dropped in the water dish , it will suck out the water completely dry quick .
 

TammyJ

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If you have an open tank that he is in, and you have a new dog.....maybe the dog is drinking the water.
 

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