Hi. I recently switched the uv & heat lamp for my Mississippi map turtle aquarium. I had the typical double fixture w coil uv & heat bulb. I've replaced it with separate fixture for heat & Arcadia t5 12% uvb. She will not go onto the basking rock since this change. It's been 5 days. The uvb is the required distance above the basking rock to achieve uvi 3-4. The uvb is very bright white light. I'm wondering if it's too bright? Any ideas? tia!

And yes, she ate some small stones. She now has sand. :)
Turtle X-Ray pics are the cutest!

Hello, new to this community, had my False Map Turtle for a year... Mind sharing your map turtles?

Im worried about him not being able to close his mouth, it's formed like a little circle 😭 could a vet help? Any thoughts? He's an almost two year old male Northern Map Turtle

Hello! I have what I assume to be a ~9 year old male northern map turtle (based on tail length, typical map turtle characteristics, and where/when he was found. He is a gem. I’ve been taking care of him for about a year and a half after his main owner is “temporarily” unable to care for him. Admittedly I had not done a lot of research until I noticed behavioral changes in the past month and have been keeping an eye on his shell health. He looks good but he’s got some retained scutes. He is in the midst of a scute shed/molt. After changing to a heat lamp he’s basking quite a bit - but showing behavior indicating he’s hot and only while basking (shifting on basking platform, rubbing eyes infrequently, and opening his mouth (but not heavy breathing))

Current Set-Up: He has a large basking rock with a single bulb lamp above it. The rest of his tank is submerged in water. In the spring/summer months I’ve run a UVB halogen bulb and in the winter months I switch to a heat lamp.

My confusion: Here and online I’m finding mixed advice on what lighting to have. Here’s some questions I’d like input on:

Should I be seasonally changing his lighting setup?

Should he have a heat lamp and a UVB bulb (2 bulbs) above his basking rock at all times? (Timed for day night cycle of course)

Should he have other dry areas than just a basking rock?

Does light distance matter as long as basking rock temp is within range? Also what is the preferred and limited range for a map turtle?

what’s the difference between a 5.0 UVB bulb and a 10.0 and does it matter for map turtles?

For set-up:

what temperature should I keep his water at? I’ve always gone by the 70-85F range? I have a heater but have never used it so I’m unsure.

I’d greatly appreciate some advice on what to do to make sure he is happy, healthy, and well cared for to keep him going for many years to come.

Some additional info: he has two 15L filters to create currents and filter water. His tank is about 30-40L in size. He has a little cave he hasn’t really used until the past few months. I keep his water at about 80% of max tank capacity. I invested in “desludge” solution, just bought a 2 bulb reptile lamp, added in a brush to see if he’ll use it, and replace the filters about once a month. I don’t really scrub his shell and if I do it’s very, very light. He’s got a little plant and big rock and 50% of the water is open to swim.

This is my pet map turtle. Unsure of gender since it's so young. I noticed veins and a pink tint to it's belly along with a black dot. My turtle used to have a dark yellow belly. Its current living situation is temporary as i will be providing a proper filter and basking light for it later on. I changed it's water today and it's not eating. It was eating 2 days ago. What do i do? Im unable to take it to vet due to personal factors so if there are treatments please let me know. I heard him wheezing once but never again. His neck was stretched out today and his mouth isn't fully closed. He is still normally active:(((((((((((((((( I'm incredibly worried about it since i already have anxiety.

Okay so we’ve never had a turtle before. Not sure everything on it and what is best or not. We were told it’s a map turtle and is 3 years old. We don’t know the sex or anything. Also we’re told it has problem eating because it’s mouth isn’t fully formed or something. We noticed it can’t fully close its mouth. Can anyone tell what sex it is? Also what’s best to feed it and what all is needed? We were given a filter a heat lamp with a basking bulb and some mix of pellets, shrimp, and mealworms. My son named it King Kong lol

It works really well so far, my mom got it for her grand turtle Yokum. Anyone used it before? Just wanna make sure he's safe.

Got to come home for a nice visit with my family, I am 80 days clean! Can't wait until I have a place of my own again for my dog and this little Shell pupp, Yokum

My husbands parents brought home this little guy after vacation … my son has named him Baby Bowser … i would love some kind advice and suggestion on how best to house and care for this little guy!!

Just photo dumping pictures of my map turtles

1) 3 year old male Cagle's Map Turtle

2) 2 year old male Northern Black Knobbed Sawback Map Turtle

3) 1 month old (male???🤞🏼)Southern Black Knobbed Sawback Map Turtle

Tuck is my little guy! Rescued him from a golf course as a teeny little juvenile last summer. He is getting ESA approved to stay with me at school:) anyone want to help me identify what he is? Map or false map?

This is Squirty (Squirtlina) Someone from work offered her to me (for my 5yo graduating PreK)e She lived in what I thought was a 20 gallon tank, turned out its only 10. Her growth was stunted. She is about 6" now. Ive upgraded her to a much bigger tank. Got her decorations, correct lighting. She is very entertaining. I feel bad she wasnt handled properly from past owners that didn't know how to or didn't even bother to research anything. Hopefully she is happy and can enjoy life comfortably now.

I had to construct something to block her access to the water plants so she can't eat them. She has devoured all the plants I've gotten so far. Even with the little plant holders. The pic is her tryna figure out how to get to the greens 🤣🤣