Most turtles like to swim or enjoy a good soak in the water at some point during the day. If you own a turtle, talk with your vet to find out if the turtle is part of a species that needs to have a water and swimming area in his tank or if a dipping or soaking bowl would suffice. For instance, red-eared sliders enjoy swimming a lot. For these guys you should provide a complete swimming area of the habitat. He needs enough room to jump in and take a swim down deep and back again. He should also have a few floating rocks and of course dry land for sun bathing after. The box turtle doesn’t like to swim as much. He will do well with just a small bowl to soak or swim in. He can have a shallow watering hole too. He doesn’t need a full swimming area. For more tips, talk with your Thorold, ON veterinary clinic.