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Hello! I have 2 res about 10 years old. My male is fine, but I am a little concerned about my female. I can't say for how long, but she floats more than swims. It is a perfectly even float. She is about the size of a dinner plate and I would say about 3-4 inches of her shell is exposed out of the water when she's floating. I don't always keep the water deep enough for her to really dive, so I thought it was just her way of getting lazy, but now that I've noticed it more, I'm pretty concerned. I wanted to check with all of you before heading out to a vet. Is there anything I can do to get her swimming more or is this pretty normal and I'm the crazy one?
BTW.... They are in a 50 breeder. For the last couple of months they have had about 3-4 inches, now about 6-7 inches of water. Temp seems good and she enjoys the yard but yesterday she seemed annoyed with the grass in her face more than having fun like her crazy BF. ANY help would be great! Thanks in advance!

I don't think a 50 gallon is big enough for a turtle thats the size of a dinner plate the minimum i think is 100 for an adult size res

Also fill the tank as much as you can (enough for them to dive/swim but not enough for them able to escape.

Dinner plate may sound big... I would say she fits in my hand about 7-8 inches but I know what you mean. They seem comfy. Aren't they supposed to be more than 1.5-2' from the light? I don't know how much more water I can really add.

A seven inch turtle still needs 70 gallons of water. A she-RES can grow up to 12'' in length.

I believe it's 12'' from the light, but that all depends on the wattage of the bulb, I believe.

A turtle will kind of float when they come up for air and want to check out their surroundings.

Are her other behaviors normal? Basking? Eating?

She seemed to enjoy her worm today, but because she wasn't diving for it, I was holding it up infront of her. I'm going to give her another for night snack now that I know she will be interested in it... I want to see how hard she will try to get to the bottom if she can.