Other Turtle Discussion :: Sleeping More

[Betty]

Myrtle seems to be sleeping more, she's and inside turtle, aquriam. Will they tend to sleep longer this time of the year?

[jenaero]

You'll have to tell us more. What kind of setup do you have? What are the water and basking temps? What have you been feeding him? How big/old is he? How long has this been going on?

[marisa]

I do think that with the change of seasons, as weather gets cooler and days get shorter, they do have an internal clock that alerts them to the change and can slow them down. I see though, that you're in AZ and wonder what the weather is like where you are...

Does your turtle appear healthy otherwise? Have you noticed any other symptoms/unusual behavior?

[Betty]

Sorry about that, I guess more info would help. She is about 4 months old and lives in a 10 gallon tank. She has her UV lamp and Basking light. We have a 25 gallon tank ready for when she gets a little bigger.

As you said I am in Arizona and it is still warm here. We are a little cooler because we are a little higher altitude than Phoenix. Right now the water is between 74 and 76. I have a heater ready to install when the nights start getting colder.

She is in good health, eating good, swimming and active just sleeping more than she used to. I had read that they hibernate during the winter if they are outdoors so I wondered if that might be why she was starting to sleep more.

[Betty]

Oh I forgot to say we are in the mid to upper 80's right now but starting to cool down.

[sonyj]

Cooler water/temp will make them less active. Have you checked the temp overnight before to see if it's dropping any? Installing the heater won't hurt now. I keep mine on year round to keep the temp steady and from fluctuating. 78 is a good temp for younger turtles/hatchlings. Maybe trying the heater and uping the tank temp by a couple a degrees would help. You could always try it and see if it helps. It would definitely be a way to rule out if the temp is related to her sleepiness.

[marisa]

It's too warm where you are now for your turtle to want to hibernate (and there's no need for your turtle to do so, especially since your turtle is only 4 months old). As long as she appears healthy (from how you described her, I would think she is) and you don't see any unusual behavior/symptoms, I wouldn't worry.

Is the water temp constant at 74-76F even at night? If it drops significantly, it could be taking a little while for your turtle to warm up and become more active as the day wears on and the temp rises. If there is significant fluctuation, it would be good to start using the heater fairly soon. What wattage is the heater?