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My turtle Turbo is not basking. I have had him for a week and he has yet to bask. The water level is almost level with his platform and the ramp is pretty much under water. The water temp stays between 70 to 75 degrees. I am not sure what to do. Maybe it is because he is in a new home. Two days ago I started taking him outside to play. I read that taking him out side every now and then is a good treat. He loves it but runs from the sun light to the shade. What can I do about him not basking?

Well, the basking dock needs to be out of the water. The turtle should be able to sit on it and be completely out of the water. If your turtle is a hatchling, you need to raise the water temp to 78-80 degrees. You'll need a submersible water heater to do that. Also make sure that you have UVA and UVB light for the basking area. And the temps of the basking area should be ten degrees higher than the water.

Once you've fixed all that, you need to let the turtle adjust for a few weeks. It is probably basking when you aren't around because it's still scared of you. After about a month that will stop. And during this acclimation period, don't mess with him. Touching him too much in the beginning will stress him out.

The dock is out of water and I only touch him to take him outside. Should I stop taking him outside till he is a little more comfortable? When i pick him up he doesn't try to run or go into his shell. He really isn't a shy guy. He is not a hatchling. He is about 4-5 inches. Right now I have one plant in his tank and he hangs out around it. Anymore suggestions?

Check the temps on the basking area and make sure you have the right lights. Even though he's not a baby, he still needs some time to settle in and feel comfortable.

What size tank is he in?

For now he is in a 10 gallon tank. He seem to love it. He is very active. I bought a 65watt uv bulb. I wanted to get more wattage but I am not sure where to get a lamp to support more watts. I got the lamp about 10 to 12 inches from the dock.

Well, that's why he isn't basking then. He's 4-5 inches long, he should be in at least a 55 gallon tank. The rule of thumb for tank size is 10 gallons per inch of shell.

Well i guess I will go get one this week. The guy at the pet store told me that my tank was fine, thats why I bought it.

Yeah, they don't really know anything. You could try petco, they're doing a $1 per gallon sale. Good to hear you can get what your turt needs Make sure and pick up a filter that is rated 2-3 times the size of the tank.

So, I need atleast a 50 gallon tank, and underwater heater, and a filter rated 2-3 times the tank. Is a floating dock ok or do they sell docks for big tanks?

There are different sized floating docks. And they work great. My 4'' male is on a large zoomed floating dock and he loves it. And a great filter is the Rena filstar XP3. They are usually available from bigalsonline.com for like 80 bucks. They are about 100 dollars more in the store.

Just to start off with, do you think I can get everything I need for around $200? Just untill my next payday? I found a tank for $80 but i need th filter and heater and proper lighting. What do you think?

Tattoo wrote:Just to start off with, do you think I can get everything I need for around $200? Just untill my next payday? I found a tank for $80 but i need th filter and heater and proper lighting. What do you think?

That's a very realistic cost if you are going to upgrade to a 50 gallon + accessories.

The good news is that reptiles only have a major "upfront" cost, but then the maintenance cost is very low after that (usually only food & filter media).

For the UV bulb, make sure you are getting BOTH uva & uvb. Most "reptile" bulbs out there are only uva. You could go with a 100W Powersun UV bulb which has both uva AND uvb. I have it for my RES & she basks constantly (loves it). It's not a cheap bulb (UVB is what makes the cost go up, unfortunately) but it will give your turtle what it needs to be healthy & happy.

Welcome to the board!

Thanks for all of your help. I will see what I can do to get this turtle happy. I will be in touch!