I found a baby red eared slider in my garage and decided to take him in as a pet because I was afraid he would die...he's so tiny! I am keeping him in a large Rubbermaid tub and I have a 40watt UVA bulb made by SunGlo. It's called a Neodymium Daylight Lamp. Anyway, I have a rock that is partly out of the water for his basking spot and I have the light right over it. I keep it on all the time. I also have a submersible water heater that keeps the water at 72 degrees F. I think this may be too cold for my turtle because I have read they need warmer water. He will swim down and sit under the heater so I think he might be cold. Anyway, I thought if he was cold, he would bask...but I never see him up on the rock. He will make himself float on the top of the water with his head sticking out or if he's underwater, he will stretch his head towards the light. But he never gets completely out of the water. Does the 40 watt bulb not produce enough heat for him to bask in?