Aquatic turtles live in lakes and ponds with thick vegetation, growing on substrates, like sand, small stones, and large rocks. Rocks can create a rich aesthetic experience in your turtle tank. However, do turtles need a rock to sit on?
Turtles use large rocks for basking in the light. Stones in the water also give them spaces to hide, rest from swimming, or find amusement. Some turtles might even snack on the rocks in the turtle tank if they are craving minerals.
There are some details that you need to keep in mind when choosing a rock for your pet’s tank. Read this article to find out why turtles need rocks in their habitat. We will review the different choices of basking areas and rocks, and what you need to watch out for.
Why do turtles need rocks?
Rocks are not only a beautiful decoration for your turtle tank. They can also prove beneficial for your pet and make its habitat more natural.
Basking
Aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles spend a lot of time in the water and love taking long sunbaths, also known as basking.
Absorbing the UV-rays helps turtles regulate their body temperature by controlling blood flow in their skin and fins. Since they usually do that on a surface outside the water, rocks are great spots for a relaxing sunbath.
Resting
You can also put large rocks or smooth river stones in the tank as a substrate. That will create an area for your pet to hide or go up and down in the tank. In addition, your turtle will have a place to rest in its home.
Of course, rocks will also make your turtle’s habitat look more natural and aesthetic.
Amusement
You might see your pet playing with the rocks or digging around them. Such behavior might be caused by boredom. To solve this problem, you could increase your turtle tank’s size and complexity.
If you add more plants, rocks, and basking sites, your turtle will always have more activities in its home.
Snacking on rocks
Turtles also love snacking on stones because they crave minerals such as calcium and iron. So seeing your turtle eating rocks might help you indicate nutrition deficiency.
However, small stones can block a turtle’s digestive tract and might lead to death. To avoid that, consider the size of your pet and choose rocks larger than its head. Large smooth stones are a good choice in such cases because your pet won’t be able to bite a piece of the stone.
Do all turtle species need a rock inside their tank?
Most basking turtles like the red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) and the painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), do not require any substrate. They can live in a tank with a bare floor and will feel comfortable.
Keeping the tank bottom free of rocks will give the turtle more swimming space. Although rocks can be a great resting place for the turtle, it will certainly not die of exhaustion.
However, you need to create a proper above-tank basking platform for the turtle to go out of the water and dry. If unable to bask, your turtle won’t produce vitamin D3, and it won’t be able to absorb calcium. That could eventually lead to Metabolic Bone Disease.
Adding rocks to your pet’s tank will also increase the complexity of their habitat. As a result, the turtles will have more activities and places to hide.
What rocks are a good choice for your turtle tank?
If you want to put a substrate in your turtle tank, you can create a gradient of pebbles of different sizes. You can also add large smooth river stones and lava rocks.
That will give your turtle spaces to hide and have its privacy. With the river stones, you can build a small hiding cave for your turtle. Make sure you use large smooth rocks that can stand stable on top of each other.
Lava rocks, on the other hand, can improve water quality. Their porous surface allows beneficial bacteria to colonize it and act as water filters.