Why do turtles pile on top of each other when basking?

Question

I have four turtles and am curious about their behavior--I've been unable to access info when searching the internet.

Answer 1

They are competing for the basking spot. What will eventually happen is the weaker one (whom will more often be the one of the bottom) will get weak from not being able to adjust its own temp and could suffer very serious health problems or even death. With that many turtles it would be best to add an additional basking spot or a large basking area. The hard part about doing this is making sure they have a cold side to get to as well. A good friend of mine who was having the same issue bought two other small basking spot lamps and put lower wattage bulbs in them and put them all together in the same spot. This made the basking spot larger without increasing the heat. Be sure to check the temps if you attempt this and good luck!

Answer 2

There is not a lot of research as to why they do this.

The best guess is that one finds a good site- good heat, good access, good escape route and takes it.

Other turtles, being almost human-like in this sense, see a turtle there and figure it must be a good spot, so they go there too.


When you see what looks like 5 or 6 perfectly good basking sites in the wild, with a few turtles scattered over some of them and several on one log you start to wonder.

Answer 3

Both of the previous users are correct, especially the first. They do as lizards do, the "top dog" is usually on top. It's important in captivity to have plenty of basking areas to where your turtles don't have to do that. They should all have the space to bask at high temperatures at once.

Answer 4

The turtles do not compete with each other. They pile up on top of each other so they won't lose any body heat. They stay warm from the light that is provided and they keep that heat by staying close together. If they don't pile up on each other, they will lose their body heat faster.