turtle looks like in hibernation but above water

Question
i have had my female painted turtle for almost 20 years. shes in a 55 gallon tank with the correct lighting a basking area including a cover to stop drafts and a heat rock. its winter and ever year i leave the heater in the tank set to 73 to keep the fish alive but still the turtle usually goes into hibernation and sleeps at the bottom of the tank. this year she has been sleeping on the heat rock day and night for about 2 weeks. she has not eaten at all. she is alert and eyes are clear and moves as i come near, but never goes into the water. the only thing that is different with the setup is i have a bunch (like 20) of small (less than and 1/2 inch) convict ciclids because they had babies and i dont know what to do with them. not sure what to do...do i force the turtle to go into the water, just leave it alone, get rid of the fish (which i dont have a problem with) or do i need to find a reptile vet? anything would help. thanks  

Answer
Hi Chris,

Are you seeing any other behavior like gaping (yawning) or stretching the neck out?  If she does swim, is she lopsided at all?  Basking without swimming is often a sign of a respiratory infection (as is gaping and lopsided swimming).  The fish shouldn't be bothering her.  You could try increasing the water temp a bit (should be more like 78) and see if that makes a difference.  She really doesn't need a heat rock as long as she has a good basking/UVB bulb with a basking temp around 90 degrees.  Heat rocks can cause serious burns.   If the unusual behavior continues I would take her to a good herp vet.  Good luck with her.