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The problem with sunbathing turned out to be very simple. The turtles simply did not like the location of the tank. Since it has been moved, they have finally begun sunbathing. Hopefully the marks on their shells will clear up now.

Thanks for all the advice you guys shared.

what do you mean that the heater is dry?Also do you have a UVA and UVB light turtles need both to live a healthy life. Can youpost pictures of both the turtles and their setup

My apologies, I meant that the sunning area in the tank is dry, not the heater.

I can't get any pictures at the moment because I am on holiday with my family. My partner is in charge of the turtles at the moment and he does not have a camera.

You are probably right about the UVA and UVB light. The breeder did not mention this in the explanation about how to care of them, he said the UV light we had would do.

unless it is a MVB that are expensive you might only have a UVA light that produces heat. Some young turtles will not bask when there are people watching them they might be basking when no one is home. if you are sure they are not basking check the temp on the basking area basking temp needs to be about 90 degrees.

UVB helps them metabilize vitiam D that helps with bone and shell growth.

Have you tried to clean their shells with a soft toothbrush? sometimes its just water stains on the shell. Are the spots soft? Do the smell?

Okay I am not sure, but I think our UV light may be UVA and UVB. It is a large light, quite long. It heats up very high and emits purple light.

The spots are not soft and do not smell. They do not appear to hurt the turtles either as they do not flinch when gentle pressure is applied.

Thanks for the advice, I will try screening off their basking area and cleaning their shells.

you can also try to cover the basking area with a towl or blaket so they can't see out they may feel safer that way

The most common reason for turtles not basking is that the heat differential between the basking platform and the water isn't great enough. Turtles are natural born heat seekers. You need to keep the water at around 78 degrees (if they are small, or 75 degrees if they are 4" or larger) and the temperature on the basking platform at around 90 degrees. Then the turtles will be motivated to get up and bask. The only way to tell what the temps are - water and basking area - is to measure with a thermometer. You can't tell just by feel.

Some turtles don't feel motivated unless the basking area is even warmer than 90 degrees. My turtle likes it in the low 90's.

We have to see photos to really know what's going on.

If your turtles haven't been basking then they may have a fungus infection. That's more common than bacteria though bacteria is also possible. If the spots are small and shallow they can be treated with sulfadiazine (brand name sulfadyne or SSD cream). It's only available by prescription from a vet.

To prevent shell infections, you are correct that you must get the turtles to bask frequently so that they dry out completely - top and bottom - under good UVB light. All the other elements of the habitat must also be healthy - clean water, good diet. Also, if your ph is high - much over 8, then it may help to lower it if you are having fungus problems.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.
Turns out the problem with basking was much simpler then we had thought - The location of the tank.
They have started basking now that it has been moved.

I am sure now that they are basking that the white dots should clear up soon enough.