Myths About Keeping Turtles in Deep Water? For Turtles in These 6 Situations, Water Levels Over 30cm Can Be Fatal! A Must-Read for Beginners.

Think all turtles can swim? Wrong! Blindly keeping them in deep water amounts to chronic drowning. When the water level exceeds 30cm, these turtles could be struggling……

Situations Unsuitable for Deep Water Keeping

• Newly arrived hatchlings: They are physically weak and prone to stress reactions. It’s recommended to start with shallow water, about 1cm over their shell, and then gradually raise the water level after they have adapted.
• Poor swimmers like Mud/Musk turtles (e.g., Musk Turtles, Mud Turtles): Native to shallow water environments, they can easily choke and sink in deep water.
• Sick turtles (e.g., with pneumonia / enteritis): They have poor physical strength and require shallow water or dry-docking (keeping them out of water or in very shallow water to reduce physical burden) to save their lives and reduce stress on their bodies.
• Turtles during an environmental change: When the tank setup is newly changed, they may become stressed and refuse to eat. Deep water can cause them to panic, leading to drowning.
• Turtles that have just woken up from hibernation: Their stamina is low. They should be kept in shallow water to rest and recover before the water level is adjusted.
• Deep tanks with no resting platforms: Even strong swimmers need a place to rest and breathe. They can easily drown from fatigue (there have been cases even with Razor-backed Musk Turtles, a common species of mud/musk turtle!).

Turtle-Keeping Strategy Recommendations

Conclusion: Keeping turtles in deep water isn’t an absolute taboo, but you must consider the turtle’s species, its current condition, and its life stage!

To know your turtle is to truly “love your turtle.”