General Care Discussion :: RES basking a lot?

[muiyo]

I'm a bit concerned about my turtle. Today I came home and she was basking like normal. Around 7:15, it started getting dark so I went to go chase her back into the water and turn off her basking light. For some reason, she wouldn't come down. It is now an hour later and she's still sitting there with the lights off. She'll usually come down if I show her the food container and though it caught her attention, she didn't come down. I just checked the water temp. and it's a little on the warm side, 78 F. Could this be causing her to not come down? All of her other behavior's been normal. She's also scratching and kicking her back legs around a lot. In a previous post, it was agreed upon that she probably wasn't gravid but could she still be retaining eggs? I've tried putting her in a box full of dirt but she just tries to get out.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Hm has she come down yet? My RES seem to stay on his basking area even after the lights turn off. Some RES even sleep the night on their basking area just make sure you dont't have any cold drafts and if it becomes a everyday thing a night time basking bulb would be a good addition

[muiyo]

Nope she's still up there... maybe she has a newly found love for sleeping up there? If it becomes nightly, I'll definitely look into a night time bulb. Sometimes in the summer it can get pretty cold in my room since the AC is on and the room is so small. Thanks Ranger!

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

No problem its perfectly normal for your little one to sleep on his basking area sometimes you'll see him sleep under water or hanging off the ramp of filter hose. They sell red or blue night bulbs I'd reccomend the red one since its easier on the eyes at night time so you wont loose any sleep also gets extra fixture, put the night bulb in it and attach a timer to it so when the daylight bulbs go off the night on turns on. Invest in some cheap but good timers and it will take a huge load off of your worries of turning them off and on.

[steve]

Keep an eye out for other symptoms. While this is not routine, it does happen occasionally.

[CactusJohn5]

my african side neck, LOVES to bask at night when everyone else is off the platform! Also every once in a while my girls will bask for a day or 2, just because they are lazy(i think) and don't want to move! Like steve said, just watch for other behavior and repost if something else comes up!

[muiyo]

Thanks so much everyone! She made it through the night and was looking for food this morning as usual so I think she's ok. I'll keep an eye out for the next few days and see if anything happens!