General Care Discussion :: Took Turtle Outside For The First Time.....

[butterfly]

And it was a nightmare but I think it was more of a nightmare for me than for the turtle. I was just so over protective that I think I made her more scared.

Today the temperature outside was great. No difference between outside and inside temp so I decided to take my turtle outside for sunlight. In Miami we have a very high UV index so I wanted her to take advantage of the sun. Anyday this temp can change I will not be able to take her out anymore because the temp will be drastically different between indoors and out.

I put her in a tupperware container with some of her tank water and set her outside on the blacony where I can keep my eye on her every second because I was standing at the doorway. She was scared! She didnt like it. She kept paddling around and looking up at me. It was heart breaking because I was sure that she thought I had taken away her home where shes so happy and dumped her outside somewhere. It was the longest 20 minutes ever.

I just placed her back in her tank and shes hyper now. Shes swimming around constantly and has ignored the cuddle bone treat I put in her tank for her being such a good turtle during all of this. Im scared she will be stressed now.

She came out of the water a little bit and the small cuddle bone piece is on her head like a beret hat.....lol She doesnt even notice it! I wish I could take a picture. It floated away when she dipped her head back in the water.

Anyways, if anyone has any suggestions on how to take her outside in a way thats more comfortable for her, then Id appreciate it. I dont want her to associate sunlight outside with horror.

[TinySlider2]

That is how our turtles acted when we put them in the kiddie pool for the first time. I guess they got used to it after a wile. Also try putting something in with her that she can climb up on or even kind of hide under. I hope this helps a little.

[cam722]

Did you have a basking area setup? When I took mine out during the summer, they were just outside in the grass running around all over. Anyone who thinks a turtle is slow had better think again.. LOL

A side note to TinySlider2... ok, what's with this JUST MARRIED?? did I miss something??

[TinySlider2]

LoL Tinyslider and I got married saturday!

[marisa]

Well, congratulations!

[daredevilgirl013]

My turtle I took him outside in the summer and let him run on the grass but I would lay down in the grass and put my arms in a circle to form a pen like deal and he could only stay inside where my arms were. That way I knew where he was at all times and I could keep a constant eye on him.

[cam722]

To Tinyslider & Tinyslider2: Well CONGRATS to the both of you !!!!!

I had a bunch of people out there with me.. so we all kept an eye on them. It was just cute to watch them running around. My daughter was sitting on the ground and they eventually ended up over by her cuddle under her legs or trying to run up them. I think they were just looking for shade because normally they don't like her

[TinySlider2]

Thanks Marisa and Cam722!!!

[ellman605]

Congrats dude and dudet!!!

[reptilegrrl]

Did you set her in full sun or give her a place to escape it? She waa scared because she was in a big new environment with no protection.

Turtles can get UV from indirect sun, and they can overheat quickly in direct sun. So next time try setting her in the shade, or giving her something under which to shelter. And definitely keep an eye on the water temp- don't want her to cook!

[butterfly]

I put her in partial sun and shade. I took the thermometer out with me just to be sure that she wasnt getting too hot under the sun but it seems like the temp outside was perfect yesterday.

What Im going to do is get a much bigger container and put in it a temporary dock I have so that when I take her out she can actually bask and it will feel more like home. I didnt put her on the ground because the balconey is made of concrete and tile and I remember reading on here that that can damage her shell. I wish I could take her to the grass but unfortunately they use chemicals here to treat the grass because of the bugs. So shes bound to being in some container only when I take her out.

Yes I think that the huge feeling of the place outside really scared her because everytime she would see me is when she would try to climb out towards me. Very sad but I hope the natural sunlight did her a lot of good. After awhile, back in her tank, she was swimming and basking as usual. No stress.