General Care Discussion :: Can a RES Turtle not know how to swim/float?

[Reirei]

Got a turtle from a family that knew literally nothing about turtle care, and they kept a turtle since he was a baby, in a super small circular tub, that probably didn't even hold 1 Gal of water. The turtle is about 7-8 months and his shell is about 2inches. I immediately changed him out of the small container into a slightly larger one with more water (about 2 inches of water). Im afraid to add more, because im wondering if it's possible he never learned how to float since he was kept in such shallow water? He is staying at the bottom of the deepest end (2in) and just straining his neck up to get air. Should I add more water gradually or just a lot more asap, because he does have a basking area that he can easily get to if the water is too much for him.

[litefoot]

At 7-8 months most love to swim and I put them in a regular tank , deep. Other than regular basking area I also add floating objects all over like floating plants so to have plenty of resting areas if needed. They are just like young kids always going and sometimes over do it , so the extra resting places easy to find.
Also watch for underwater hiding places that it can not get trapped in. It's still new to the tank and you , it takes time for them to adjust to all.

[moore2life]

yep if he is tiny watch for places he can get stuck. You'll know immediately if he cannot float or swim, but I doubt if has ever happened, he cannot eat unless there is
enough water for him to chew,..... he will be fine I bet!