Squirt Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hi all Squirtle, my Red Eared Slider, has been basking a lot lately up to 12 hours a day, even after I turn the lights off. Eating, swimming and sleeping (yes under his java moss) fine. 500L tank Ammonia = 0ppm nitrite = 0ppm nitrate = 0-5ppm, pH= 6.4-6.6. Also he almost seems to start to pyramid. Not major, just some unshed scutes. Anything I can do to help with shedding scutes? Also is this kind of basking concerning? Once lights go off now I try to encourage him back into the water but he is quite stubborn. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellshill Belgians Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 The only time I have seen this with my turtles is when the water temp is too low and it is actually warmer on the basking shelf. One of my heaters stopped working well without me realising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 It will do more good than harm. They are called sliders because they spend most of their time basking and slide into the water if startled (either that or the Americans have trouble spelling terrapin.) The basking area needs to be warmer than the water because if the water is too hot they don't bask and then they end up with problems. I saw the result of that with some babies I sold to a pet shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Agreed with others, what is the water and basking temperatures? If the water temp is very warm, the turtle tends to not bother basking which leads to shell problems. If you don't have your water heated it's time to turn on the heater and heat water up SLOWLY. Basking area should be about 6C hotter then the water. There's different opinions about water temps. For a hatchling 28deg is needed but this can be slowly lowered to around 26 at a few months old. By a year old 24-26 seems to suit fine. I tend to run my tanks at 24 over winter for smaller turts, but 22 for larger, healthier ones with no issues. (Inside in warm rooms. Conservatory tanks are 24 regardless of turtle size.) Things to consider are where the tank is placed. Is it near a cold draft or under a heatpump as this could have caused respiratory problems which are now beginning to show up. The main issue to consider is an illness which is why the turtle is not wanting to be in the water. It could be respiratory or he could have some hidden sepsis going on. Have a really close look at him. Check in his limb pockets, under his legs etc for any signs of sores, ulcers, redness that may be festering away. Check his swimming..is it completely normal or has it changed? Is he swimming near the surface, not moving much, not diving down to bottom of tank, swimming lopsided? This could indicate a respiratory problem. If you have any small stones in your tank he could have a blockage or perforation from eating them...they will eat stones, even if you don't see it and it's a big killer of turtles. A photo of the whole tank and close-ups of Squirt may be helpful :dunno: The main thing to remember is that if it is an illness you need to get him treated asap. Turtles don't show signs of illness until they are VERY sick and so getting treatment straight away is important to ensure his survival if that's the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirt Posted April 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Hi Donna, I will try and get some photos of him and his enclosure later on tonight. There wasn't any sores or redness of the skin last Friday when I did a water change. But I will double check tonight after a water change. He is in the lounge with no draft, but in winter the room is kept warm by a heat pump in the room but not directly on the tank. He appears to have buried the thermometer in his moss somewhere so I'll dig it out later today when I do a water change. But thermometer is set at about 26C so is around 24C I imagine He swims fine, sleeps under moss so has no problem diving down. Sand substrate, and I never see him eating it do I don't think it is impaction. Thanks for the help everyone, I will update tonight with some photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaM Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 He could just be slowing down a bit with the cooler weather. I've 3 males who are staying on basking areas when lights first go out. I don't force them into the water, they just go in when ready and they are all healthy :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.