AboutMark Adkins Expertise I will be glad to help with your tortoise- and turtle-related questions. My specialty is Red-foot and other Tortoises, but I can help with many aspects of turtle care.
Understand- I am not a vet, and the more information you can give me, the more accurate my answer can be.
(Because of the number of questions I get, I reserve the right to direct you to a good website that will help rather than re-inventing the wheel.)
Experience Tortoise and other reptile keeper since 1964.
Member of the Nebraska Herpetological Society.
Author of books and articles on tortoise care.
Currently own five Red-foot Tortoises.
Expert: Mark Adkins Date: 7/11/2008 Subject: Turtle and chlorine
Question I read another answer on this subject with interest.
We have a Koi pond with several fish and 2 turtles. We also have a swimming pool. For the first time in the past week, one of our turtles has been crawling out of the pond and going for a swim in the pool.
We've found him on 4 different days and one of those days, 3 times in one day. He seems to be having a good old time swimming, diving, floating very still, swooping around and having fun. However, unlike our filtered pond set up for fish and turtles, the pool is chlorinated. I'm worried. This is new behavior that just started this past week. I can't be here all the time and I don't want to find a dead turtle in the pool one of these days.
I'm wondering why the new behavior after 2 years and how would I know if he is getting poisoned by chlorine?
Answer There are two big problems with swimming pools- the chlorine (actually not the biggest issue) and the fact it can rarely get out or even bask on its own.
In most cases, it turns out that the turtle is trying to migrate to a new habitat and the pool is just in the way. The turtle feels the pond is too small, too cold or hot, too crowded, not enough food, or whatever.
The desire, the programming, to wander seems to hit most turtles at about the same time in a species, and your has probably just hit this age. it is also more common in males than females, just FYI.
As an experiment, you can try putting it on the far side of the pool, several yards away, and see what it does- does it move away from the pool and pond, seeking new places, or go back to familiar territory.
