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my turtle wont bask im new to this but i read and i kno that thats important so what could be wrong i got a bascking rock from pet smart and its not like its to small the turtle's only a lil bigger than 4 inches please help

what are the temps of the basking spot and the water??

if the water and basking area are the same or almost the same they will not bask because it isnt much of a difference to them in temperature.

Read this to make sure you have all the right conditions for basking: http://www.redearslider.com/index_lighting_basking.html
They are also usually quite shy about basking and will jump off as soon as they hear you coming towards the room, so your turtle might be basking without you knowing about it.

Rexi didn't bask for several days after we got her. How long have you had your res?

well i had it only a few days and the temps r about the same water temp is 74 and the basking area temp is only 77 so maybe temp could be the problem

If there isn't enough of a difference between the water and basking temps the turtle won't come out to bask. Ideally the basking area should be around 10 degrees warmer... some turtles like it a bit warmer and some a bit cooler so you'll have to see what yours prefers, but it definitely needs to be warmer than 77. What are you using for a basking light and how far is it from the basking area?

Meg-Mod is exactly correct. They like the difference and the ideal is 78-79 degrees for the water and 90-92 degrees for the basking. The basking should have heat and a .5 uvb bulb or tube. Make the ramp to the dock easy for him to get up. Unless he is sick he will respond quickly. After eating he should get up there right away.

well last nite i came home and i was surprised to see him up and out of the water, but as soon as i went over by the tank she jumped in the water, thank you for your help evryone

I have 2 very young RES one basks almost all day, the other doesn't seem to bask ever. Any suggestions on what I should do so they will both bask?

Hol – be – Turtles bask for a number of reasons, but the main reason is to metabolize their food. If you have one that is and one that is not basking they may be eating different amounts of food. The one that is “not” basking may be doing it while you are not there. Make sure that your water temp is 78 and your basking is at 90. Feed both of them the same amount of food and then observe. Another scenario would be that the one that is basking is the pig in the crowd. He may be hogging all the food and bask the most.