Posted: Sun May 28, 2017 2:43 am How long after a move should things get back to normal?
I recently moved house, turtles in tow. That involved the turtles being out of the tank for a day. They got back in the water (no filter) that evening, and I got the filters up the next day. The basking areas were properly set up with lights the day after. So far, I haven't seen either basking (I may have to tweek their lights so it's warmer). Frankie seems to be eating as normal, but Raph has eaten little or nothing yet. So, 4 days since the move, my question is when should I start worrying about Ralph not eating?
Some vital stats:
Frankie, age: ~10-15+ years, 90g tank, water temp, a little warm (hot weather here) - 80F, Basking temp, a bit low when I checked it, ~83F
Raph, age 23, 75g tank, water temp 77F, basking ~83F
Foods I've offered so far are ZooMed pellets and baby lettuce (Freshly harvested, yum!)
Other possible pertinent info: I had to switch the output hoses for Raph's and Frankie's filters. I'm usually pretty paranoid about cross contamination, but because of the new configuration, it had to be done. I needed a longer one to reach Frankie's tank, and Raph's was long enough. The hoses were rinsed out with clear water, and the nozzle scrubbed, but they weren't disinfected.
I also changed up a couple of their decorations. Removed one from Frankie's, scrubbed & disinfected it and put it in Ralph's, and added a new rock to Frankie's.
Behaviour wise, they're both getting back to normal-ish. Frankie is always pretty mellow. Raph is still curious, will follow me around the tank and stare at me, and he's flirting with his rock, but he's a lot more skittish since the move, and isn't begging (he usually is a pretty vigorous beggar).
I'm keeping a close eye on them, of course. But if anyone else has experience with a big move for the turtles, can you let me know how long it took for things to get back to normal for yours?
Ralpheal, "The 'L' is silent."
Frankie, "Young at heart."