Other Turtle Discussion :: Just one of those kind of questions

[cam722]

Ok, just out of curiosity, if a turtle's basking area is too hot, will they just stay up there or are they smart enough to get into the water?? I've seen some postings about turtles getting "burned" and was wondering if it was because they didn't escape the heat or couldn't.

[jenaero]

I'm not sure how smart they are. Sometimes mine fall asleep under the lamp and I wonder if it could burn them. I've heard of many a lizard and snake getting burned by getting too close so I'm not sure...

[marisa]

If it's too hot, turtles generally won't bask. If they're on the basking area and get too warm, they thermoregulate--adjust their body temp by either moving away from the heat (having a basking area that's a little larger than the turtle needs is good so he can do this) or going back into the water.

With little ones, who are more sensitive to heat, greater care should be taken--they're more prone to dehydrating, it's possible they can be "knocked out" by the heat and not be able to move out of harms way (why the mercury vapor light isn't good in small tanks).