# Baby Eastern long necks not basking



## SlamD (Oct 21, 2009)

Hi,
I have recently bought 2 8 week old Eastern long neck turtles (on Monday), but have noticed they do not seem to be basking at all, water temp is approx 24 degrees, I have a UV light, can you think of any reasons why they wouldnt bask? 
Have got conflicting information from pet stores and from care sheets that i do and dont need a basking lamp and a UV light is sufficient which one is correct? 
I can only think they are not basking due to something to do with my setup as they were basking in the pet store.
Just for extra information they are feeding happily each day.
Any advice would be great.
Cheers


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## ChrisZhang (Oct 21, 2009)

what are you feed them?
my turtle hardly ever basks, he is about 20cm


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## TahneeMaree (Oct 21, 2009)

Maybe they are a little shy of their new home? Don't turtles usually feel safer in the water?


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## Cj3cooper (Oct 21, 2009)

hey slam, personally I believe you need a basking lamp as well as UV, even if it just provides the option for them to come out and bask. im assuming that the water level is high enough to allow them to get out and bask if they want to, as far as why they havent i really cant help you but for the lighting i would keep both the UV and the basking lamp. the basking lamp will raise their body temperature and dry them off which can help prevent fungal infections and shell rot and the UV is necessary for vitamin D production. 

im not that great with turtles so someone else might be able to give you better advice as to why they wont leave the water. they can also double check what i have posted so that you dont get the wrong info 

coops


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## SlamD (Oct 21, 2009)

Thanks everyone
Have only fed them twice and they are on a mixture of small crickets and frozen turtle feed, this is what the shop was feeding them on but i will be introducing more variety to their diet over the next few weeks. I intend to feed them fresh fish such as perch and yabbis, small garden worms (are these ok?), have also got small feeder fish in the tank for them to chase around and eat. Any other ideas on variety of diet? 
As for the basking lamp it seems as though it cant hurt to add one to my tank and could only be beneficial to their health. I have a 3 foot tank 3/4 of water with a hood, what watage would you suggest for the lamp?
Cheers and thanks everyone


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## -Andrew- (Oct 21, 2009)

I would say the main reason they would not be basking would be if the water is
being heated, as the main reason the turtles would bask is to raise their body
temperature as longneck turtles in the wild live in some fairly cold water at most times
of the year and usually only bask in the morning to get their body temperature comfortable
to be active and digest.
I would also suggest a spot lamp for basking as a UV light doesn't usually give heat
to make them want to leave the water to sit under as they don't realize that the UV from it is beneficial to them.


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## Frozenmouse (Oct 21, 2009)

give them some time , remember in nature baby turtles are the bottom of the food chain so it will take some time before they get a bit braver.
But once they do look out they will try and eat anything /anyone that comes with in 50 feet of the tank.


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## Cj3cooper (Oct 21, 2009)

> what watage would you suggest for the lamp?



for something small like that i would say along the lines of a 25 watt globe. can get them from most pet stores.


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## SlamD (Oct 21, 2009)

Thanks everyone, i will purchase a basking light today!


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## JasonL (Oct 21, 2009)

-Andrew- said:


> I would say the main reason they would not be basking would be if the water is
> being heated, as the main reason the turtles would bask is to raise their body
> temperature as longneck turtles in the wild live in some fairly cold water at most times
> of the year and usually only bask in the morning to get their body temperature comfortable
> ...



yep, and the UV light will not be doing much when they are under the water.... 
Keep the water at 18 - 22 deg and supply a basking spot bulb.


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## SlamD (Oct 21, 2009)

18-22? i have read 24 degrees can anyone else confirm what temperature? 
Is keeping it at lower temperature to try and entice them out of the water?


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## JasonL (Oct 21, 2009)

If you have a sufficient basking site you could leave your water un heated all together (at least in the warmer months for southern Aust and all year round in northern Aust). Use wood, not rocks for them to climb out of the water onto to prevent damage to their plastron. Temperature of the water will dictate their metabolic rate which will dictate their growth rate, you run a far greater risk growing turtles fast than slowly.


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## SlamD (Oct 21, 2009)

Thanks Jason, good advice. I have just bought a basking light, might lower the water temperature as your advice says


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## SlamD (Oct 27, 2009)

Just thought i would update all those who helped me out on this thread. I added a basking light, the turtles are still not basking on the rock however they are poking their heads out in to heat and are floating close to the surface more often. Still feeding well and in general look very happy and healthy.

A further question for those in the know: My missus wants to buy a baby murray short neck to keep with the 2 baby long necks, can they live together or to they require a vastly different habitat or is their a compromise to keep them all happy?
I understand short necks diet is a little different also and I also believe a license is required where i am in the ACT, is this correct?
Cheers all once again


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## Tsubakai (Oct 27, 2009)

Australian Freshwater Turtles

This site will answer all your questions


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## JasonL (Oct 27, 2009)

Use wood for a basking spot, turtles will try to avoid climbing onto rocks, adjust your water temp down till they prefer to bask, they will never come out of the water if it's warm. Long Necks naturally live in water that gets very cold.
They can live together but you will probably see them squabbling over food / territory ect which can lead to stress issues, it all comes down to the size of the turtles and the size of the tank / pond they are in.


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## SlamD (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks mate.
I actually had a bit of a problem over the weekend, we had a power outage and my brand new heater packed it in, I didnt realise this until I noticed the turtles behaviour change they were sleeping alot and less active the temperature drop was only a few degrees though, I didnt think just a small drop would inpact on them like that? however they were still eating well . I have replaced the heater and they appear to be alot more active once again. 
In terms of tank size I have a 3 foot tank with a one of the floating turtle docks and the long necks are approx in between 20c and 50c piece size range.


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## pdsn99 (Oct 27, 2009)

My turtle has recently just been starting to utilise the turtle dock after a few months. Give it time.

Additionally, make sure to vary the diet - feed whole fish (eg white clouds, neons, guppy) to include bones (calcium) and internal organs (minerals and vitamins) - may need to knock the fish out, brine shrimp, yabby, blood worms (rarely) and vegies.

Try to stay away from beef and meat product (including turtle dinner). It's not a natural food source. If given as an occasional (once a month or so) treat there is no real issue but reguarly is not great for the turtles health. Feed 2 - 3 times a week max. Do not overfeed - as posts earlier indicate fast grow is not ideal. 

Regarding type of UV light a 5.0 is ideal for ELN's.


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## garycahill (Oct 27, 2009)

Hi SlamD,
Most juvenile turtles don't come out of the water to bask, they bask on the water surface, like you explained in one of your earlier posts. The frozen turtle dinner should be thrown into the bin, as it is actually *very bad* for their health, rather like feeding chilldren chocolate & expecting them to grow properly.
UV is critical for their shell development. A NEC T-10 is the best option for their UV supply.
Water must be maintained between 24 & 26 degrees. It can be dropped in winter when they are older.

For more info;
CARESHEETS - Australian Freshwater Turtles


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## SlamD (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks Gary,
Just going off the advice from everyone with how my turtles should be behaving it sounds like they are doing nothing out of the ordinary and are happy. I have taken them off the frozen dinners and have introduced them to little feeder fish (last night) and have been giving them a mixture of fresh perch pieces and crickets, I will keep varying their diet as the days go on.
One thing in the tank I will change in the very near future is the turtle dock, it is a large one and is cutting out a fair portion of the UV supply and its not being utilised so I will swap it for a smaller one, this should keep the little fellas happy.
Thanks again for all your advice, much appreciated without I dont think my turtles would be as happy as they are!


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## turtleman (Oct 28, 2009)

I have been studying turtles and thier behavour for going on 20 years now. Watch your turtles at night they are more active then, day they are usually very lazy. Turtles are oportunistic feeders but tend to feed more at night. Young turtles have more greens in their diet eg. foxtail and amazon sword. Green peas are really good too. Turtles do bask naturally in their own time. I do recommend not heating water thier breeding cycle depends on the seasonal changes. Heating the water at a constant tempreture all year round has been proven to sterilize turtles which makes them useless later on for breeding. If everyone did this captive bred turtles would become non-existant within 3 years and the only ones for sale would be wild caught. My water gets down to 2-3 degrees and they go dormant and sleep on the bottom of my pond. They need this time of sleep to reset thier metabolism and do not feed during this time. AFTCRA is another site to checkout too.


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## JasonL (Oct 28, 2009)

turtleman said:


> I have been studying turtles and thier behavour for going on 20 years now. Watch your turtles at night they are more active then, day they are usually very lazy. Turtles are oportunistic feeders but tend to feed more at night. Young turtles have more greens in their diet eg. foxtail and amazon sword. Green peas are really good too. Turtles do bask naturally in their own time. I do recommend not heating water thier breeding cycle depends on the seasonal changes. Heating the water at a constant tempreture all year round has been proven to sterilize turtles which makes them useless later on for breeding. If everyone did this captive bred turtles would become non-existant within 3 years and the only ones for sale would be wild caught. My water gets down to 2-3 degrees and they go dormant and sleep on the bottom of my pond. They need this time of sleep to reset thier metabolism and do not feed during this time. AFTCRA is another site to checkout too.



agreed, though I had never heard about them becoming sterlie before, do you have any links to studies on this? sounds interesting...


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## SlamD (Oct 29, 2009)

Thanks Turtleman, I will try them on green peas also.
What temperature would you recommend for the water? or not heated at?


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## novek (Oct 29, 2009)

i didnt heat my water once and my turtle got a respiratory infection...also u just have to wait for the turtles to use the docks


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## kazper58 (Oct 29, 2009)

SlamD

I suggest you have a look at Australian Freshwater Turtles as Gary has suggested for the CareSheet..lots of great information about diet and everything for turtles..


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## SlamD (Oct 30, 2009)

Thanks everyone, I have read the caresheets and have got loads of tips off it, just mainly wanted to get individuals opionions and ideas also. So thanks to all


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## garycahill (Oct 30, 2009)

No point for individuals opinions mate. If you want to look after them properly, just follow the care sheets.


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## Frozenmouse (Oct 31, 2009)

garycahill said:


> No point for individuals opinions mate. If you want to look after them properly, just follow the care sheets.


Read the care sheets there is nothing explaining why they dont bask.
the best explanation i have been given is if your water temp is too high they will not leave the water to bask and this can lead to shell softening and infection .


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## Frozenmouse (Nov 3, 2009)

garycahill said:


> Once again dabool, total bs!
> Soft shell is not caused by staying in the water.
> You might like to learn something about turtles *before* you go worring people with total nonscence. You don't happen to work for a reptile shop do you?


i worked at a crocodile park and a zoo.


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## SlamD (Nov 9, 2009)

What a shame i go away for a few days and miss out on all the action. 
Turtles still doing great


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## JAS101 (Nov 9, 2009)

mine have just started to use the basking area , give it time .
my outside turtles are allways out sunning them selfs .


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