Habitat - Indoor :: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 11:56 pm   5 yr old turtle wont bask?

My turtle is around 5 years old. He has been living in the same tank, with the same basking area for years. He is fully grown. Everything about his enviroment is exactly the same as before, but suddenly over the past month or so I've noticed that he has completely stopped basking. He never leaves the water. Is there something I can do to get him out? Any help would be appreciated.
starkidchickie
 
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Post Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:32 pm   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

Any other symptoms? Change in appetite? How warm is the basking area?
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steve
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Post Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:29 pm   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

I don't have a thermometer for my tank, it's never really been an issue, so I don't know how warm it is, but it's definitely warmer than the water.

For a little while he wasn't really interested in eating unless it was something he likes, but now he's back to normal.

Could it be that it's too cold?

Thank you.
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Post Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:40 am   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

The basking are should be roughly 10 degrees F warmer than the water.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 10:29 pm   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

Okay, I'll check it out. I guess I should get a thermometer, right?
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Post Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 10:40 pm   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

I have eight in my cabinet now all reading very different so I went to an IR type much better. Very accurate ! And reads anywhere! Cooking ,wall's ,tank...all around!
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Post Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 9:57 pm   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

IR thermometer is also my favorite. Also get a stick-on type as a backup. How big is his tank? Any pictures of the setup?
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 11:53 pm   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

I can't remember the specific size of the tank, but there is lots of open water space, with one rock that he generally uses to sleep on, and a stable stack of larger rocks that he used to climb on to bask.

I'm sorry, I feel like every time you ask me something I don't know some of the answer. The tank was a gift, and I wasn't told the size.
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Post Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 2:23 am   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

I'll be happy to try and explain. Take and multiply these measurements of the tank (in inches) Length, Width, Height. Then divide by 231. That will give you the amount of gallons.
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steve
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Post Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 8:27 am   Re: 5 yr old turtle wont bask?

Here's one of my cheat sheets.

http://www.aquariumdimensions.com/
litefoot
 
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