Habitat - Indoor :: Quick Question on Basking

[Poz]

I have had my turtle for 3 days now and he has eaten two days in a row now ( about 3 small pellets each day ). He still doesn't seem to bask. The basking temp. is 90 or 91 and the water temp. is about 80, sometimes 82ish. Should I completely not touch him or be around him for a couple of days. Just go in to feed him?

[Poz]

Oh and the turtle is about 4 inches

[ice]

it usually takes them a while to get used to their new homes. mine didnt bask for a few weeks. just give it time.
also, lower your water temp to about 75. the difference in temp from the water to the dock will lure the turtle up there.

[Poz]

How do I lower the temp? I dont have a water heater, just the lights on the basking area.

[Starchick]

You should have a water heater. Even though it's too warm now, if it dips at night you need something to maintain the minimum safe temperature. I asked on here a week or so ago about getting temps down because it's so warm here, and was told to try blowing a fan across the surface, and it really has helped. Probably your turtle isn't basking because he's warm enough in the water. Then again, some turtles just take time to get used to new things, Napoleon took 3 weeks to figure out his dock when I bought him a new one.

[DavidY]

Someone else said they put a piece of food on the ramp up to the dock placing it higher up the ramp each time the turtle took it. Eventually the turtle got used to being up there. I thought that was a pretty cool trick.

[Twoster]

i left wet treats on the basking area, also anacharis on the basking area as well(kinda half way in, half way out). and they are smart, they know when someone is around or not, i would always walk in and catch my turtle basking after i was gone for a good 3 or 4 hours.

a few ice cubes can drop the water temp a degree or less, but if its hot enough there for the water to naturally raise above 80 degrees, ice wont help you in the long run..if you can, adjust the temperature on your thermostat in your residence(if you get a water heater for your aquarium)..just a suggestion

also, the less water you have, the easier it is to heat up*