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Whenever Peanut tries to bask is usually when I'm not around. So I don't know whether or not Peanut is basking right now but the problem is that I always come in and find him basking and when Peanut sees me he get's shocked and dives into the water. It surprises me as much as it surprises him. So I HAVE to always walk slowly into the room no more than 2 inches per second or else if Peanut is basking he will spontaniously Jump into the water. :cry: I wish He wouldn't be so scared, I mean he is so friendly when he is in water but whenever he is basking is so aprehensive.
What will I do? Do I have to walk in so slowly all the time??? I feel so silly doing it. :oops:

Its instinctive for them. They might or might not get used to people. Covering the tank when they are basking is what I do when there is a lot of activity around them.

[fixed a typo]

It doesn't mean he'll never get used to you. I think it was at least a year before Spot didn't hop off the platform when someone walked in. It's only been within the last 6 months or so that he'll let us walk up to him while he basks.

This is happening to me, Dont worry, when ever I walk in he dives of into the water it just scares me... Steves got the right idea and so does SpotsMama you dont have to walk in slowly all the time you just have to let him get used to you or something...

sigh....It happened again today. But this time, my brother scared him. A bigger problem. :x

This is a regular occurence with my guys, too. Used to take it quite personally. NOw I just assume this is how it is. Sometimes, if I stay in the room long enough, they will go back up. They have only JUST starting staying up when I get up and leave. But when I come back in, that's it. They're outta there!!

How long do captive turtles live? Oh yea....50 YEARS.....sooner or later they will get used to the "Big Head" coming and going.........

Mine used to do that too, it drove me nuts. I wanted soooo badly to see them basking but every time I even moved they'd jump off and scoot down to the bottom of the aquarium. I thought they hated me!

I remember one time I managed to get up from the sofa and hide behind our TV cabinet and take some pics of Frick! on his basking area. I had to zoom in really far and I just managed to snap the pics before he saw me and made a leap for it!



After a while they started basking and didn't care what we do, although they are more timid of my husband than they are of me. They still jump off someitmes if he comes near when they are basking.

Now I'm playing the waiting game again. I made a new above tank basking area and they aren't going near it yet.

I have one turtle that stays up there as I come and go, and one who hops down as soon as he hears the door opening as we come home. I think it depends on the turtle's personality as to how long it takes them to ignore you when basking.

Mine just stays there... My sis can be playin video games right next to the tank and i can come in the room and sit infront of the tank... she wont move she'll just look at me...

respeanut wrote:Whenever Peanut tries to bask is usually when I'm not around. So I don't know whether or not Peanut is basking right now but the problem is that I always come in and find him basking and when Peanut sees me he get's shocked and dives into the water. It surprises me as much as it surprises him. So I HAVE to always walk slowly into the room no more than 2 inches per second or else if Peanut is basking he will spontaniously Jump into the water. I wish He wouldn't be so scared, I mean he is so friendly when he is in water but whenever he is basking is so aprehensive.
What will I do? Do I have to walk in so slowly all the time??? I feel so silly doing it.

It's instinctive. Sheba is very used to me, but she still does it at times too (dives into the water). Usually happens when I am coming home from work in the early evening & she has been basking for many hours already (I think she is peacefully napping & by opening the front door & me klunking in, it freaks her out). If there is a way to totally break them of this, I haven't found it yet.

LOL, thats the same issue I have with my older turtle. For some reason, he prefers to bask when nobody is around or when nobodys watching him, you gotta have total stealth just to get a view of him. My little guy basks like nobodys business, you can wave your hand in front of his face and splash water around but he'll keep his ground.

My Tanner will immediately jump off the dock if we come into the living room. He will eventually go back to bask as long as he feels no one is looking at him - guess he doesn't like to be caught basking in the bare!

I find the funniest thing is watching him climb back on the zoomed dock when he thinks I'm not looking. He refuses to use the ramp; instead, he struggles to climb the side of the dock. He looks like he's doing pull ups!!

One of mine stretches his neck out as far as it will go when he's half way up the ramp trying to see where we are before he will climb all the way up the ramp. Then if he hears a noise but no movement, he stretches out hi neck again. It's really funny! I should try to get a video of it.