General Care Discussion :: rock eating

[fish21]

my turt is alloways chewing and sometimes eating the gravel pebles in his tank. is that normal.

fish

[painted patience]

well it may be a normal thing to do but it is very unhealthy. He could choke on one or swallow it and become impacted ( can't go to the bathroom ). It is advised to remove ALL gravel from tanks or just put in what they call river rocks, which are quite large and actually look nice. The problem is , they hold the gunk and poop in from your turtle and need special care when cleaning.
Is your turtle acting normally otherwise? Eating, swimming and basking. Let us know alittle more about your setup and we can let you know if you are missing anything. ( size, water height, temperature , lighting - basking lights and UVB?, diet ) Welcome !
Painted patience

[fish21]

size, about 25 gall clear rubbermade it is about 5 times longet 3 times deeper 2.5 times deeper. zoo meds floating dock.

, temperature , water 80 basking 95

uva 50 watts basking light and uvb floresent screw ing bulb (pricey)

zoo meds aquatic turt food. gold fish, crickets, worms, babby spinich

he is acting fine eating good and having bowl movements.

thanks for the help

fish21

i also have a water heater. and a night basking light wich she uses.

[marisa]

Rock/gravel eating can be a sign that the turtle is looking for more calcium in the diet. Take out the rocks that small enough tio be eating and try adding some pieces of cuttlebone to the tank. (If you don't know what cuttlebone is, do a seach on it. There are a number of threads on the topic...