Reptile & Amphibian Forums

this is how i found my little one basking today. there really is some 'gator' in these guys. lol

great and unique pic greg,guess there is alot to learn about these turtles that we don't know and unless people like you share we'll never know. thanks

the snapper is doing everything it can to speed up it's metabolism..mouth open increasing surface area while basking...good luck...billy

Cool picture.
As long as he's doing great, its cool.

Just one thing though...I almost lost my little leucistic last year. Quit eating and was wasting away.
It was also constantly "basking"
Day and night...even with the lights off.

I went to really specialized herp vet.
He also said that basking is an instinctive behavior to raise metabolism.
They will do this when the are not feeling right. Thats why he was doing it at night also.
It was pure instinct because he was weak. Even at night. It was just his basic instinct to get out of the water, raise his body temp , and help his immune system.
i actually eneded up giving this little gy shots of antibiotic, but the vet had me raise the air and water temp quite a bit to get him right.
It worked great.

good point mike,john richards once told me if they are basking,somethings wrong.but who knows,it looks healthy.did yours bask with his mouth open?

Always with the mouth open steve.
thats was another thing the vet mentioned.
The real key was when i noticed him basking at night.

no matter what I did to him or the tank, within like 5 minutes , he was out of water.

Since he's been healthy, hes never left the water again....

mine rarely basks, and my larger one never does. the lil guy is quick to jump, and eats well. im sure hes fine, i think that the yearlings seem to have a tendency to bask, rarely though. the only wild ally snapper i saw in LA was a basking juvy on a log. it would be quite a sight to see an adult male basking