redearslider.com

My African side neck turtle's name is Toby. I've never had a turtle before and I'm young. I'm worried about him because, well I have this floating plastic thing that kinda looks like a rock and Toby won't climb up on it. I'm worried. He mainly just swims along the bottom of the tank. should I be worried? Should I find something else for him to bask on? Can he sleep under water? Am I just getting myself worked up about nothing or should I really be worried?Please answer me back! I'm a new owner and I would cry if anything were to happen to him.

I think Rubicon has one, maybe he can offer his experiences with you. I haven't had an ASN before, so my response is will be somewhat incomplete. There are several species of African side necks, so you should be sure of which kind you have. How long have you had Toby? How big is his tank? Freshwater turtles normally sleep underwater but will surface periodically to breath.

I'm no expert, but i do have a African side neck; he does not bask, well like the other turtles at least.

My ASN like to get out of the water at night and "bask" when no heat or lights are on, its extremely odd.

His in water behavior is to hide, and hide well. Usually they LOVE sand, and will burry themselves in it, i have 3, 1/2 logs and he is ALWAYS under one of those, if not he is under a "fake stump"

Most turtle can sleep in the water.

Some more info would be good. what is your tank setup like? any pictures?

umm...no pictures. sorry. but the bottom of his tank has smooth rocks about the size of a nickle or quarter and then there is bigger rocks spread around. there is a filter thing hanging on the side and there is a floating fake plastic log. Toby LOVES to stay under the floating log. there is a light shining on the tank. Toby's favorite rock is one under the fake plastic log, which he likes to lean on. I've noticed that he often likes being in the shade or to try and hide, like you said. he's getting more used to his tank and is starting to come up and kind of float every now and then with his head above the water and his shell below the water. But I got him out to look at him yesterday and saw that his shell was chipping a little, which made me a bit worried again. he also has two "dry spots" on his shell. (thats what the guys said.) which he doesnt seem to be bothered by, but i gently put my finger on the chipped part and he started moving around and trying to get away, so i stopped. i was worried again, but about his shell, because the guy said that if he spent too much time in the water, his shell would get weaker. I do not have any calcium "dust" with his food.

I'm not sure if Toby can get up on his log, so im a bit worried with that too. When I first got him, I started freaking out when he would be under water for a few minutes, even though I knew that he could hold his breath. So, I'd watch him and if he would be under water for a long time, I'd put him on the log. sometimes, he'd just sit there for a while and sometimes, he'd sit for a second and then dive right back in.

Is it easily accessible? It could that they are especially shy about basking.

steve wrote:Is it easily accessible? It could that they are especially shy about basking.

i agree 10000% with that statement, they are super skiddish and will not bask when anyone is around.

They are not big baskers.

Similar care to:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-gibba.htm

yeah i noticed that to. oh and he is an aquatic afrcan side neck turtle specifically i think. umm, the thign has a little ramp on the side, but he doesnt really show interest with it.

I was on a different turtle care site the other day and read that b/c African side necks are primarily carnivorous, they do not REQUIRE basking, as they get their Vit D3 from their food. Turtles sometimes take time to adapt to their new surroundings, so he will "come out of his shell" so to speak in time. They are quite funny turtles and even though they are shy, they will warm up eventually (will still be skittish but not as much over time). If after a few weeks he still has no interest in your basking spot for him, you may need to find a new one. It will be his way of telling you he does not like it. But, give it time first, because it may just be that he is adjusting to his surroundings. And yes, he can breathe underwater as long as you have enough moving water to create an oxygenated environment.