General Care Discussion :: My baby RES wont bask & water depth

[alexis_906]

Thank you, I guess that he just needed to get used to his new surroundings.

[pumpkinsherbet]

according to the texts, as long as they can't stand on their feet with their head above water it's fine. definitely make sure they can swim up to the top. maybe try gradually raising the water levels.

basking is very important, it keeps them from getting softshell, helps them metabolise their food, and helps them thermoregulate. make sure the basking spot is easy for them to get to. also monitor temps; if it is too low they won't bask. general rule of thumb is to have the basking spot at 10 degrees above the water temperature. what's the water temp?

[alexis_906]

Great thank you, I checked and the light was too far away from the basking area and it wasn't getting warm enough. So I took the top screen off and lowered the lamp into the tank just above the rocks. And now it is warming up nicely. The little guy still hasn't went on it but I hope it helps.

[Pookie]

he is probably still getting used to the enviornment mine took at least a couple of days to get on the rock that i had for him. now they do it everyday

[industrial_girl_2000]

If you just set up the tank yesterday, then he needs time to adjust to the new environment. Check the temp of the basking area & water. Your turtle looks like a baby, so water temp should be around 78-80. Basking temp should be about 10 degrees higher to encourage basking.