Posted: Thu May 12, 2005 2:37 pm
You said he has a floating rock--does it stay anchored in one place or is it moving all around the tank? Ideally, you want to have it staying in one place under his lighting...Basking areas that float and bob up and down can be difficult for a turtle to get on, especially larger ones. Just because he's laying on the part that's under the water doesn't necessarily mean he can get on it easily. It would be good to check to see that he actually can.
With the water 75-80F (this is a pretty big fluctuation--are you using a submersible water heater?) and the basking area only at 80F, he has little incentive to bask. An 8-10 degree difference between the water temp and basking area temp would be good (encourages him to bask for the heat). Try to get the water temp down to around 75-76 consistently and raise the basking area temp to mid-high 80's.
What wattage basking lamp are you using? And he also should have a UVB light (not the same as the basking light--it's flourescent and doesn't give off heat).
To get the basking area warmer, you could either use a higher wattage bulb or move the bulb closer to your turtle (but not so close that he could burn himself). Check with a thermometer.
How bad are those spots? Is there an odor? The soft spots could lead to shell rot if you're not careful. Make changes in the basking area and temps and see if that doesn't help.
Also, how much water do you have in the tank? If the light is heating it up that much, it doesn't sound like the water level is very deep.
Last edited by
marisa on Thu May 12, 2005 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-