Dear rfb,

Thank you for your response. I truly appreciate any advice that I can receive from fellow herp enthusiasts. Because of your advice and the comments of other forum members regarding this topic, I am not going to worry too much about my painteds. They are eating and are somewhat active, although they are spending a large amount of the day sleeping in the corner of their aquarium on some emergent aquatic vegetation. This is normal right? It's normal for them to slow down in activity and appetite, but is it normal for them to sleep for such long periods of time during the day? I was thinking that it's their instinctive/natural biological clock kicking in and letting them know that this is the time of year to slow down but just to make sure, what do you think?

Anyway thanks for the advice and I will try feeding them minnows or guppies to give them some additonal calcium. I measured the basking area temperature to be 87 degrees Fahrenheit and the water at 76.1 degrees Fahrenheit. I know this is good because their basking area should be 85-90 degrees while the water temperature should be between 74-78 or 70-76 degrees Fahrenheit depending on who you ask. So, if you're wondering if the temperatures are correct, you can count on it. Their sluggishness is not do to improper temperature or improper exposure to UV light 12 hours a day. It's probably just their natural behavior this time of year. Please respond back.

Here's a picture of Bronsky, one of my Midland Painteds. Isn't he gorgeous!?

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