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sorry for all the questions im just VERY new at this. but i have a heater in the water. its vertical and is pretty close to the bootom. whenever i turn it on, my turtle sits under it. that cant be good for him because it gets warm directly under the heater. is he ok or do i have to change something?

I know a lot of turtles hang out on the heater, sometimes it's for heat others just because they like hanging on things. Is there anything else in his tank for him to float/hang on? I've read that you shouldn't have the heater too close to the bottom of the tank so that the water flows better around it and therefore maintains a better/constant temperature. What's the water temp?

i have a basking dock that he like never uses. ive seen him on it once. maybe hes on it when im not in the room. but the temp is about 78 or so. i dont leave the heater on for long periods because i have a 10 gallon tank and it heats up fast! but when it is on, its like he clings to it sometimes.

Is it fully submersible? I have most of my heaters horizontal on the bottom or diagonally suctioned to the side of the tank. If you're really concerned, you could get a heater guard for the heater so your turtle can hang on it all s/he wants.

its under water, but its closer to the top than the bottom. he only ever messes with it when i first turn it on. so maybe hes just curious. he seems to be ok, so im sure im fine.

If he's going to it when you turn it on then it sounds as if he might be cold. Is the temp on it adjustable? I know on mine I leave it on all the time in a 10 gallon tank and it's fine. I just had to play with the thermostat to get it right. It's set at 72-74 and keeps a constant 78 degrees.

If he's not basking could be that the basking temp isn't much different than the water so he isn't enticed to bask. The basking temp should be at least 10 degrees higher. What is the basking temp?