Turtle only basking

Question
Hello. I recently acquired a African Helmeted Turtle from my cousin.  She was not taking care of it and so I decided to take it.  We redid the tank and the turtle(I believe its a female) is now in a 20 gallon tall, with a Fluval filter(it filters 70 gallons) a basking light, and a heater, she has a floating place to bask and lots of water to swim in.  She will eat in or out of her habitat.  And the water with the heater is only getting up to about 74 degrees.  The problem I have with her is that she does not swim.  She will get in the water if I put her in there, but all she does on her own is bask.  Everytime I see her she is in the same position basking.  Is that okay or are they suppose to be more active?  When I got her from my cousin she had not done anything for her and the tank water was freezing, so her skin was shedding a lot.  I have her in new conditions and the shedding has gotten a lot better but is some shedding okay? My biggest concern though is her lack of activeness.  Thank you!

Answer
Hey Kylie,

It sounds like you have everything you need for the turtle to be healthy and happy. Your turtle may be trying to shed more if she wasn't able to for awhile previously. She will shed both her skin & her scutes on her shell.

If she seems to be shedding a LOT, try moving the basking light back a little further. If it gets too hot it will cause excessive shedding. Be sure that the basking light is a UVB light.

African Helmeted Turtles aren't really known for their high activity level. Just keep an eye out on how much she's shedding. As long as she is swimming some, I wouldn't be too concerned. She needs to keep herself hydrated, which she will so when swimming.

Hopefully this helps!

-Nicole