Long neck turtle (6 months old) won't bask, possible skin problem?

Question

My baby long neck turtle has got a huge tank for swimming, with basking space and UV light. His water temperature is set at 24C and his water is very clean.

We've had him for about a week and he hasn't stopped swimming!

Occasionally we've put him onto his basking area (ie. after feeding him) and he seems afraid to be there, and quickly scuttles back to the water.

I want to know why he might not like basking (is it too cold? or too warm? or is he afraid to be exposed on the platform?). He hasn't gotten out of the water all week, and it looks like he is shedding skin (he's got a furry kind of transparent film on his skin, but not his shell); is this because he isn't drying out enough?

Answer 1

You know he may be basking more than you think. Sometimes they will jump of when you come in the room. Baskers are skittish creatures, whose main method of defense is "sliding" into the water to escape predators. I would put some dirt or sand of the basking spot and see if in a few days it has been knocked off or disturbed if so, he is probably basking when your not watching. To encourage your turtle to bask, keep your enclosure in a low traffic area, keep other pets away from the enclosure, and provide your turtle with undisturbed amounts of time. Also it is normal for turtles shed their skin like other reptiles, but more continuously. a thin and tranlucent shed is nothing to worry about. They even will shed there shell sometimes too.

Answer 2

I think he's just a little jumpy and afraid of exposing himself, especially since he is so young. In the wild they would have to be extremely careful of predators when leaving the water.

My brothers murray turtle was the same when he was young, but as he's grown he has gained more confidence and we see him basking alot more now.

The furry skin is most likely due to shedding, they shed their skin as well as the shell. However certain fungal infections can mimick this. If you are worried or he starts developing other symptoms I suggest taking him to a reptile vet just for a checkup. =)