loss of activity

Question
Hello,
I've had my male RES for a bit over a year now and recently he's becoming less active. He is usually really active and swims in the tank, but lately he's been hiding under the basking area. He responds to touch and is still eating, but I'm just worried that something might be wrong with him. Is it a case of loneliness because i had to recently separate my female turtle because he was biting her. Should i put them back together?Would that help him become active again?

Answer
Hi Kelly,

When faced with a change in behavior like this, it's always best not to make assumptions about what caused it, but instead look at all the factors just to make sure.  Sometimes what we think might be the problem isn't it at all.  Turtles are fairly solitary and really don't get lonely, so that's not likely to be the issue.  If you put your female back with the male, he is probably going to continue harassing her, especially if you don't have a huge tank, and that wouldn't be healthy for her.

So first make sure your setup is correct.  At a year old, he should probably be in a 40-50 gallon tank, and that should last him for a few years, although at maturity he should have about a 75 gallon tank.  Turtles need a lot of room.  The filter should be rated at about 3 times the tank size to keep the water quality up.  There should be a basking spot of about 88-90 degrees (10-15 degrees warmer than the water) with a good source of UVB.  If the UVB bulb hasn't been changed recently or is a questionable bulb, it might be a good idea to change it.  I recommend using either a ZooMed Powersun (heat/UVB in one; change yearly) or a Reptisun 10.0 (UVB only; change every six months).  What is his diet like?

If your tank is set up properly, then look at him and his behavior.  Is there any wheezing, bubbling from the nose, gaping/yawning, etc.?  Does he swim normally--no listing, swimming in circles, etc.  Does he bask at all, or stay in the water?  If the water is too warm, turtles will be discouraged from basking (which is why you want the 10-15 degree difference).  Do you see any areas on his shell or skin that seem to have changed?  

If you can get back to me with more information, we can try to figure out if this is something you need to worry about.  Thanks!