General Care Discussion :: RES Won't Bask Until Fed! Is This Normal?

[IslandTribe408]

Hello everyone,

I'm brand new to the forum, me and my wife have a question about our RES and their basking.

I made a new basking area out of egg crate for our tank. Our Slider has a regular routine, we feed her in the morning, she poops, then crawls up to her basking area. It was plain at first and she liked it but we added some rocks and a plant then she loved hanging out on the rocks. She doesn't seem to break that routine of eating, pooping, basking for a good 5-6 hours til my wife comes home then we feed her again in the evening (even with her old basking spot). She won't bask unless she eats first that's how she's been since we got her. Is this normal?

She is not a baby, I think she's almost full grown. We're still not sure if she's a male or female. We just assume shes a girl because her claws aren't really long and her tail isn't as big as the males we saw on the internet. She's 5 inches (her shell), probably 8 from head to feet. We feed her daily.

Please help!! Any information/guidance/advice would be helpful!

Regards
Nik and Terina

[steve]

It's sort of normal. If you leave them alone for large periods of time, they will likely go ahead and bask. Your routine is good and similar to what my RES used to be like. Since then, I have the lights turn on a bit earlier and I would see them basking when I get up in the morning. Once they see me, they slowly slide back into the water and wait for food. It's usually good to have this routine, and I like to feed them veggies in the morning as it they digest better when basking.

You likely have a male... does your turtle have long claws and a thick tail?