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I'm having trouble getting the basking area temp above 83...my water temp is usually between 78-80. Trouble is, with the hood I have over my aquarium, I can't use a bulb over 30 watt. What should I do, if anything? Also, I have 2 cats, so an unhooded aquarium isn't really an option.

I have a hood over the front part of my aquarium and the back part is covered with glass, I just have the heat light above it. Since it doesn't matter, it isn't filtering anything out. Just watch and make sure the heat light isn't aimed at the hood or it will melt. There are pics here if any of them do you any good.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/missibsu/ ... /my_photos

Missibsu, how many does your basking bulb have? Seems to be very close to the basking area. I read on a side that basking temperature should never exceed 85F or the RES' shell could start shedding.

Check this link out:
http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/skin.html

Any suggestions or comments?

Amazing Iceman wrote:Missibsu, how many does your basking bulb have? Seems to be very close to the basking area. I read on a side that basking temperature should never exceed 85F or the RES' shell could start shedding.

Check this link out:
http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/skin.html

Any suggestions or comments?

How many what does my basking bulb have? The light is about 10 inches away from the basking area. The water temp is at 78, because they are still hatchlings and the basking temp is right around 87/88. I've had my turts almost a year and they have yet to shed.

missibsu wrote: How many what does my basking bulb have? The light is about 10 inches away from the basking area. The water temp is at 78, because they are still hatchlings and the basking temp is right around 87/88. I've had my turts almost a year and they have yet to shed.

Sorry, I mis-typed there. I was asking you how many watts does your basking lamp have?

Use whatever wattage will get the basking area in the range of 88-90F; if you have to, adjust the distance from the bulb to the basking area. Mid to high 80's are fine. If your RES will bask at 85F, no problem--they're temperate turtles, not tropical ones. I'd try not to have the temp above 90F for a healthy RES. Basking temps much higher (in the 90's) consistently can lead to shedding and contribute to faster growth.

Well, like I have said...I've had them almost a year...in fact their birthday is supposedly in May sometime, and they have never shed. They bask when we aren't here during the day. I know because when I walk through the door I scare them down. On weekends they seem to just get comfy when someone goes and disturbs them. If you sit long enough they will climb back up though. They just don't like us walking around.

I know this is going to sound like a silly question...but how can I measure the basking area temperature? I just started on this site this evening, but I'm feeling a little confused by what I'm reading. I have 2 small RES and thier water temp is 80 degrees. I don't know how hot their basking area is, but in my initial reading, I thought the warmer the water the more active my turtles would become. Now, it looks like maybe the water is too warm? They dn't seem to bask a lot...could they need a larger temperature differential between the basking area and the water temp?
I've only had my turtles about 3 weeks and have lots of questions...bear with me! Thank you!

jrjellybean wrote:I know this is going to sound like a silly question...but how can I measure the basking area temperature?...

Just lay a thermometer up on your basking dock for around 20 minutes or so. If you have a rock about the size of your turtle lay it on the basking area with the thermometer on top of that because even an inch closer to the basking light can make a big difference. Water temp should be 72-75 for older turtles (78 for hatchlings) with a basking temp at least 10 degrees warmer or around 88-90 to encourage them to bask.

Water that is too warm can lead to excessive shedding and fast growth which can be taxing on the internal organs.

Thank you so much Sonja! There's all sorts of different information out there and it's hard to know what advice to take. I love that I can talk to fellow RES owners .... they're really the experts! My turtles have been shedding a lot since I raised the water temp, so I think I'll try turning it down a degree or two.