General Care Discussion :: Doesn't bask anymore..

[j3ss1c4w]

Hey all,

My boyfriend and I have a 1.5 year old RES named Bowser. He was previously in a 15 gallon tank and we just upgraded him last weekend to a 40 gallon tank with a new canister filter, heater and floating basking platform. I've had the week off and I've noticed that Bowser no longer does any basking. In his old tank, he was very comfortable to just climb up on his platform and spend an hour or two basking, even when we were home. Now the only time he'll go up on his platform is to try and escape from his tank lol He did that in his old tank as well but was never successful. Anyways, anyone have any ideas why he would just stop basking?

[ljapa]

It may just take time. There are lots of stories here of res that stopped basking after tank upgrades or a new basking area.

You might try putting a pellet or two on the basking area to encourage him to climb up.

[steve]

Also double check the temperatures... water around 78, basking area around 90-95F.

[VeipaCray]

What lighting do you have above the basking area?

You could try putting a pellet or two on the new basking platform to entice him up there.

[j3ss1c4w]

We have one of the double dome light fixtures with the UVA/UVB light in one socket and (I believe) a 75W basking lightbulb.

We've been putting his pellets or anything else we feed him up there and he doesn't stay up there for more than it takes to get up there, grab the food and get off.

He mainly stays underwater, typically at the bottom and in the shade of his basking rock.

[steve]

Could you position the lamp closer to the edge of the ramp so he has a better chance of sensing it?

[devilduck]

What's your room temperature like vs their water temp? My turtles bask a lot less in winter just because the room tends to be colder.

[j3ss1c4w]

I can try putting the light closer to the end of the ramp. Right now, the heat kind of reaches over the opposite side. You can feel the heat around it there.

I don't have a digital thermometer for room temperature, but its kept comfortable for us human types

The only other thing I can think of is because the tank is so much larger than his previous tank, perhaps he doesn't feel safe enough to come out of the water? Maybe we need to add more into the tank in terms of plants, decorations, etc.

[steve]

Natural looking is better. Perhaps you can also temporarily cover the sides so there is more privacy.