General Care Discussion :: Tumble is finaly acting like a turtle but still wont bask

[blulite]

hi guys i am having a problem with tumble not basking. since i put him in his new tank he has started to eat more, sleep more, swim more, and just generally do more. he eats the cuttle fish now and has eaten every live plant in the tank. he has even eaten 4 of the 6 guppies we put in there. he plays with the cobbles and pushes them around and digs through them to get at a stray mealworm or shrimp he was chasing after. his shell is looking a lot healthier than before. he no longer has those horrid white patches of fungus on it no more. and now he is sheding his skin which i exoect is also a good sign.

all of that said he still wont bask he has an atba and his basking area is, as recomended 10 degrees warmer than the water. we use a zoomed turtle dock as a ramt for him to get up and he has a ramp that he can run up and dive off.

we have seen him basking only twice since he was put in his new tank and this is frustrating. we dont want him to fall ill. he seems to be more interested in humping the heater and filter pipes in the corner.

can anyone suggest some way to get him to bask.

do you guys think a bit of tuna or other smelly food type might encourage him to come out of the water more often?

[emma]

How long has it been since you put him in the new tank?
I got a new tank for my turtles last December and one of mine still barely likes to bask. But when I am out of the room and peek in, she is always up there.

There are probably lots of times that your turtle is basking and you just dont know about it.

And, is your tank in a busy room? That could be a reason. Your turtle might be to scared to come out and bask.

[blulite]

thanks for your reply emma it has been almost two weeks since i put him in his new tank. and the tank is in the living room which we spend a lot of time in. but its only really high traffic when my daughter is messing around which isnt regular.

[untsmurf]

If you've seen him bask, that means he's probably basking when you aren't around. The increase in appetite is a good sign. Although, it sounds like his diet just shot up in protein.

When you said he was eating cuttle fish, is that a nick name for something or an actual cuttle fish?

Try surrounding the ATBA with fake plants/decorations, this will provide him with more security and he might bask more.

[blulite]

If you've seen him bask, that means he's probably basking when you aren't around. The increase in appetite is a good sign. Although, it sounds like his diet just shot up in protein.

When you said he was eating cuttle fish, is that a nick name for something or an actual cuttle fish?

Try surrounding the ATBA with fake plants/decorations, this will provide him with more security and he might bask more.

cuttle fish is just cuttlebone. cuttle fish is what it gets called in our area. it therefore is an actual fish but not the meaty type lol. he has been seen basking but not very often. his diet now includes dried shrimp, gammouris, meal worms the odd bit of fish food he swipes off the guppies and live plants ,grass reed and cress that we replace every week.

[blulite]

If you've seen him bask, that means he's probably basking when you aren't around. The increase in appetite is a good sign. Although, it sounds like his diet just shot up in protein.

When you said he was eating cuttle fish, is that a nick name for something or an actual cuttle fish?

Try surrounding the ATBA with fake plants/decorations, this will provide him with more security and he might bask more.

cuttle fish is just cuttlebone. cuttle fish is what it gets called in our area. it therefore is an actual fish but not the meaty type lol. he has been seen basking but not very often. his diet now includes dried shrimp, gammouris, meal worms the odd bit of fish food he swipes off the guppies and live plants ,grass reed and cress that we replace every week.