my turtle has been under the light for most of the time today, is there something wrong?

Question

it's a baby red eared slider. don't know if its a male/female..

usually its in the water swimming around, but today it was weird. is it b/c of the winter season or something and needs to be warm?
b/c it's skin around the neck/head area was just beginning to peel a couple days ago [yes, i know this is normal]
....i just want to make sure that it's okay.

Answer 1

yeha your turtle is cold....
BUT try getting a heater for the water in your tank. Then they are always warm. My turtles love when their water is warm, and barely ever leave it once it's nice and warm.
They aren't too expensive, almost always less than $20.
Stay away from Elite heaters, I had one that over heated....it went from 80 degrees farenheit to over 110 degrees (that's as high as my thermometor read...and it was at the top). It cooked seventy five baby fish. =[ so I wouldn't get them because having a turtle get cooked would be WAY worse than fish and the fish thing was pretty sad. But I never had any trouble with any other brand.

Other than that, your turtle is normal, and is displaying normal behavior.

Answer 2

Reptiles regulate their internal body temperature with their environment. When they're cold, they seek out heat (the lamp) and if they get too warm, they do what they can to keep out of the heat.

I had this problem with a couple of my snakes... they spent all their time basking and were kinda inactive most of the time. I realized that I had them next to one of the exterior walls of my home... just touch one of the walls that separates the inside from the outside on a cold day and you'll see why he's so cold... the temperature drops a lot when you get close! Try moving the habitat to a more centrally located portion of your home, and you may find things return to a less-concerning pattern of behavior.

Answer 3

I have the same turtle and if they are not getting enough light they will stay up there for awhile. Also those lights are only effective for about 6-12 months then they need to be replaced. I forget what they call it, but whatever is effective in the light wears out before the bulb actually burns out. It sucks.

Answer 4

He's getting cold so he's looking to the light for warmth.

Check the water temp...could be getting too cold from the ambient temperature drop in the room.

Answer 5

Check the water temps. The water really should be at between 75-80. If it is cool, they might be basking ot warm up.

If the water is warm and clean, it could just be one of those things- sometimes they just get moody.

Answer 6

My frog does that , he just stays in a spot for a couple of days.
But i usually let him out in the bath and put him in some water(treated) and he has a swim!


well good luck and Merry Christmas!

Answer 7

You should also take into consideration that turtles need full-spectrum lighting to thrive. If the light is not full-spectrum, please consider replacing it. Someone mentioned it earlier, and he is correct, the spectrum in a light changes with age. The bulbs should be replaced every 6-8 months...every year max! Make sure it is a full-spectrum bulb. That is important.

Answer 8

I have two sliders, they are 2 y/o, occasionally one will do that same thing. Don't worry unless you notice that he is not eating, if he is listless, or any thing else out of the ordinary. If you are still concerned consult a vet. Good luck!!

Answer 9

Reptiles are cold blooded and need lots of sun light to keep warm...

Answer 10

of course its cold when you get cold do you get under the covers ok then look up about your turtle see the temp range for it most need to be at 86f or higher