General Care Discussion :: shell/light questions

[krux5506]

my turtle would not bask when i first got him. then i think he got more used to his surroundings and started to more often but now he doesnt again. he just lays in the water all day and doesnt look too active (or maybe he is when im not around, though i never see any wet marks on the basking rock.) his shell is also starting to look kinda brittle on the edges, like its getting thin and sharp. i was wondering if this was a bad sign. other than his sharp edges, his shell looks fine but i was also wondering if i need to have the uva and uvb lights on at the same time (i usually do).

any advice is appreciated.

[flutterby]

What are the temps of your basking area? That might be part of the problem, my turtles wouldn't bask unless it was in the mid nineties.

[krux5506]

the basking temp. is between 85 and 90...but im more concerned with his shell at this point.

[steve]

Can you post a pic? What are the water temps? Basking temps? Is there privacy for the turtle? How often are you changing the water?

[fishandcandy]

Both lights should be on at the same time. Ideally plugged into a timer.

[krux5506]

i dont have them plugged into a timer but i usually just turn them off before i go to sleep and back on when i get up.

the water temp is around 78.
basking temp around 85 to 90.
there is privacy.
i change the water when it starts to look gross. i used to pretty much every other day but that was before i had a filter so now its usually once every two weeks.

[CountryGirl68]

I would recommend doing water changes more often. If you are waiting until the water "looks gross", it may be doing more harm than good.