Urgent Care :: very concerned

[zeek]

hi guys,
It is now 11:31 PM and i went downstairs to get some water, i turned on the light to see Bella, and she was sleeping on the basking dock, its been more than once now that ive seen this. All the other times I saw her sleeping, she was right beside the heater and the filter, her claw was hooked into the filter and she was holding up herself with that against the glass, and her head was very close to the top of the water. Do RES has to have shallow water to sleep in, or do they sleep in the deep water, because the whole tank is deep, except for the basking dock???

[SpotsMama]

There was a thread awhile back on where turtles like to sleep. You might find it interesting:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... eep#158524

As you can see, their sleeping preferences vary a lot. Most like to sleep in water but it's not uncommon for them to sleep on a basking platform. Sometimes my turtle is on his platform napping when the basking light goes out, and since it's still warm up there he stays for awhile until the temperature cools off enough that he's motivated to get back in the water. Sometimes he's up there for an hour or more.

If the air temp in her room is relatively warm, it's likely that she's staying on her platform because it's comfortable.

It's also true that excessive basking is sometimes a sign of illness, but it's usually accompanied by other symptoms such as general lethargy or poor appetite or swollen eyes. Is anything else in your turtle's appearance or behavior causing you concern? If not, then there's probably no problem - just a comfortable turtle.

[zeek]

there are no signs of anything, she looks fine, she is active and is always digging and pushing her rocks around.