modelgrafx@aol.com
Rowena, Welcome to our group. It’s great that you were able to rescue a DBT. 8″ is almost a full grown female. If you are keeping her inside she won’t need to hibernate. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea anyway as having been kept the way she was for the meat market she could still be stressed and hibernating stresses the body and should only be done with 100% healthy animals. One of our members that keep their DBTs in brackish water will have to answer your question about salt in the water. I keep all of mine in fresh. She probably is staying in the water out of fear. She may not be used to you yet so she may perceive you as a predator. In time she may spend more time out of the water as she did when she was outside. I have 3 DBTs that I received a year ago this month that were wild caught. Two of them started eating trout chow and Reptomin almost immediately but the small male that I got still will only eat frozen fish or live ones. He refuses to eat anything else. Just keep trying with one of the commercially available turtle foods and she may eventually start eating it. I have found that all of mine DBTS from my oldest to recent hatchlings love a calcium block to chomp on. I just get the big parrot blocks from the pet store and throw it in. I have to put in a new one every 2 weeks or sooner. My DBTs also like to eat plant matter. While you keep her inside you might try putting 1 bunch of arachnis (sp) in her tank to see if she likes to eat it. When I have DBTs inside I keep the water between 78-82 degrees. But I always have a basking spotlight for them. Maybe some of our other members also have some ideas for you as we all keep our DBTs differently from each other. Good luck with you DBT and again, welcome to our group. Vickie P.S. Check our links as they may also answer some of your questions.