General Care Discussion :: Turtle eating cork basking dock

[gossimer]

I have a 7" male RES that I have had for 5 years. He has always had cork basking docks but has just now started chewing on the one in his tank. Not sure if he is eating it or not. There are pieces floating around in the water. Will he eat it and will it hurt him if he does?

[steve]

How old is the bark? My male RES would eat his old one constantly and it would make some of his poop float. I replaced it with a new one and I haven't seen any bites yet.

Cork should not be harmful when eaten though I would inspect it to make sure there are no large loose pieces. Small pieces can pass, but large ones can cause a chocking situation.

[gossimer]

The dock is old so I will replace it. Thank you!

[steve]

Sounds good, and good luck!