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i have a nice basking dock for little baby turtle, but he never uses it. he eats and everything, and i thought turtles had to bask to digest their food? he wont get sick will he?

Basking helps them digest more effectively. Basking also helps dry the shell to reduce shell diseases and if there is a UVB light, it will help them metabolize calcium.

What are the temperatures of the water and basking light?
Do you have both UVB and UVA?

If the water temp and basking temp are very close together then he won't be enticed to bask. Water temp should be 78 hatchling, 72-75 for older turtle and basking should be at least ten degrees higher or around 90.

Is it easy for your baby to get on the basking area?

I was wondering about basking as well..mine spends every minute in the water. He can easily climb out onto his dock so that's not the problem. Water temp is 75 (he's 2 yrs old and used to living in a pond and never leaving the water). Only time he climbs onto the dock is when he wants out..Actually waits till you come to the tank and then climbs up and sorta like begs...weird!
So is mine just stubborn? He has a UVB light and the basking area is around 85 degrees.

Just have to ask--are you sure he's not basking when you're not around? Is he in a room with a lot of movement? You could put a barrier around the outside of the tank where the basking area is to give him privacy. You could also bump up the basking area temp a few degrees as well to see if that helps.

well how do i make the temp. in the basking area higher? i have a lamp and i also have a water heater. the lamp is directly over the basking area, and the heater is not always on.

What type of light do you have over the basking area? If it is a UVB only bulb, it won't emit heat. You can use a regular housebulb aimed at the basking area to raise the basking temp. Test the temperature of the basking area by placing something the approximate size of your turtle on the dock and put a thermometer on it for about 20 minutes to see what the basking temp is. You should have it around 90 degrees or so. If there's not a significant (around 10 degrees) difference in the water and basking temp there will be no reason for them to bask.

What do you mean by the heater isn't always on?

i dont leave the heater on for a long time because i have a 10 gallon tank and it heats up pretty fast. i dont want the water to be too warm. i leave the basking light on for about 12 hours a day. that also seems to heat the water up.

so i guess im still somewhat confused on how to make the basking area much warmer than the water temp, if the basking dock is floating on top of the water. im sorry to be a bother, i just want to make sure im doing the right thing for my little guy.

You heat the basking area by pointing the UVA light on it, along with the UVB pointing at the dock also. The water is heated by the heater, the air/basking temp is heated by the lights.

ok thats what im doing, i just wanted to be sure. thanks

When I first got my turtle she was basking almost 24/7 and sleeping on her dock but lately she is now always swimming and I dont see her sleep one time in the day. I dont even know if shes basking regularly.

I caught her yesterday basking in the late afternoon but shes certainly not basking like she used to. I dont know if its because shes more comfortable now with her space or what but she sure is active so thats a plus.

he has started to do it more often now. but only when im not in the room. when i come in and seehim doing it, as soon as he sees me he gets in the water. maybe he just needed privacy!