General Care Discussion :: wierd basking behavior!?:?

[redearninjaturtles]

My 2 baby turtles have a wierd basking behavior.

in the day they swim and beg for food all day long.(yes i feed them 3 pellets each once a day)

when they get tired of begging they go and bask. (perfectly fine because they only bask for 10 minutes and go back to begging again as soon as they see me )

heres the wierd part- they will be basking when im ready for bed, BUT as soon as i turn ALL the lights off (including the heat lamp)(its too bright) they jump back in the water.

Is it because i dont have my turtle dock close enought to the heat or do i need a night heater.

questions-

Yes i do have a water heater up to 80 degrees

I feed them 3 pellets a day each (seems like alot but they beg anyway)

I have a water themometer it reads 80 degrees.

I do not have a basking area thermometer thing

Yes they do bask but only when the lights on.

[industrial_girl_2000]

You don't need a night heater outside the tank as long as the water has a submersible heater in it to keep the water at a nice 78-80 degrees F. Night air will cool down, but as long as the water is warm, that will help keep them healthy.

Turtles don't normally sit on their basking dock in the dark. They feel safer in the water at night.

[DavidY]

Sounds normal to me. Sounds like you're taking good care of them too! Make sure you have a UVB basking light as well with your light for heat.

[grey goose]

Basking and UVB lights should be set 12 hours on 12 off, to mimic the day-night cycle. Very rarely will turts go on the basking ramp once the lights are off.