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I have a 2 inch 1 year old RES. He is darling and I just got him a new and improved 40 gallon tank. He basks throughout the day but on a very small area. It is big enough for him to be on completely without being submerged in water, but I was just concerned that he might need more room to walk around out of the water. Here is a pic let me know. Thank you.

This is his new home



This is him on his basking rock.
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Hi, a larger basking area would allow him to regulate his temperature better (moving closer or further away from the heat). By offering a limited area, he may not be as comfortable as he would like. You can see from the shell that he hasn't been basking properly at some point.

I'd remove the gravel, its often proved to have tragic results. Add a UVB light and some real or fake plants and the tank would look great. Thanks for sharing!

Ah yes I want to add some plants but I am afraid he will eat them....what do you suggest? About the basking area....I am going to try and build him an above water area, so he will have that room he needs.

You can get fake aquarium plants, smaller turtles really enjoy having floating plants to rest on while at the water's surface. Or you can try some live plants like anarchris- look in the feeding section to see which ones are OK.

Also, you can buy a cheap ( less than $15) floating basking ramp at petstores for the time being that would really improve the basking of your turtle. He's still pretty small so you shouldn't have any trouble with him being to heavy to be supported by the suction cups

Your turtle probably would eat live plants but they're good for him. Check out the list of good water plants in the section on this site called Nuitrition. when the turtles eat them it can be kind of messy but, like I said, they're like turtle salad - good for him.

my turtles play in their plants. whenever i add new plants the first thing they do is explore them. they hide in them. they do turtle push ups in them. not too fond of their new hiding spots yet, but they love their plants. you can get some nice silk plants at petsmart from $2.99-$12.99.

as for the basking area, aside from looking like it's too small, it also looks like it would be difficult for your little one to get up there. the turtle dock works well for me, and the little ones are oddly social when they bask. it's also got a bit of a ramp on one side so they can easily get onto it. my only advice would be to keep the suction cups off of the bottom, the part that goes underwater. my aeryn got stuck in that

Yeah i will get some plants. He does not have a hard time getting up onto his little rock but i have a basking ramp from his old tank i will put in there for the time being. Thanks guys! I will keep you updated on how he is doing.