obnoxious turtle

Question
QUESTION: I have an ornery red eard slider that delights in ripping up his plastic aquarium plants and the little plastic stump his guppies hide in. He will thrash them and move them all around his tank. His tank is a 55 gallon, he has 4 undergravel filters, and one out of tank power filter, 2 uv lamps, his water is 83 degrees, he has guppies to play with and a turtle bone, I don't know what else to give this guy to keep him happy!! Can you reccomend something I can make/buy to keep his plan his in place, or something i can give him to play  with so im not shoulder deep in turtle water everyday?? Or if this is a sign of something else and I am misunderstanding his intentions? Thanks for your help.

ANSWER: This is pretty typical of these turtles- they are pretty destructive as they look for food and things to do, ways to get out.

Give http://www.redearslider.com a look and see if they have any new ideas for you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so can you answer my question, can you recomend something else for him to play with, or is this a sign of a bigger problem? can you recomend a plant weight or a plant brand alternative? I know they are destructive, that is why i'm writing this,your stating the obvious, perhaps ill try another board.....

Answer
I was approaching this from the standpoint of "Or if this is a sign of something else and I am misunderstanding his intentions?"

Because that is what is happening. Your turtle is perfectly happy digging the stuff up. You are unhappy and misunderstanding its goals and psychology.

I was trying to be polite in pointing you to a good care site that might help you understand what is going on here better. From what I can see in your note, you have done a little research on turtle care, but I am less sure that the research is perfectly accurate.

For example:
- Splashed water suggests that the tank is very full, which further suggests that there is not adequate basking area or types. Good basking situations are a key element for turtles, mentally and physically.
- The mention of 2 UV lights is a possible concern. You see, plain UV bulbs only give out UV-A, but turtles need UV-B and since it does not penetrate water, only 1 near the basking site is adequate.
- Undergravel filters are generally considered to be a poor choice for turtle tanks since they pull food debris and waste into the rocks, where it lodges and decays, releasing the too-common turtle smell that is usually a bad sign as far as cares go.
- 83 degrees is near the upper end of the recommendations for this species, and warm water generates excited turtles. The range is usually given as 75-80F, although the basking site should be near 90F.
- You do not mention diet, although live food is a common way to enliven a turtle's life. The only mention of food- guppies and turtle bones- are mentioned as toys.

I don't know of a way to attach plastic plants and such without using rocks or gluing them to the base. Because they make cleaning the tank harder, most keepers eventually just stop using them in favor of things like ceramic pots that are heavy, easy to clean, and still offer hiding spaces.

If you are still looking for another board, try http://www.turtleforum.com