I am new to this forum and have a 3 year-old Egyptian and he/she seems to be doing well. Following the discussion above, I began to question my setup, however. I built the enclosure of wood frame and glass all around. It sets right next to a large window that gets indirect lighting (the window looks out upon a covered porch but with a high pitched roof). I kept 3 Burmese MT's and a red-eared slider for their first 4-5 yrs each in that same spot before moving them outdoors and they appeared healthy throughout, as does my Egyptian. I have tube flouresent lighting that is distributed as being for reptiles but it is not specifically UVB. It is pretty much the length of the enclosure. The heat emitter is at one end. Temp under the emitter is 106 F and it 86 F everywhere else. I have NOT varied the temperature diurnally. The breeder advised me to soak him once per week and not more often, which I have done. I used to leave a water dish in the enclosure but he NEVER partook, so I removed it. Very active in the morning until I feed him, then stays in his hide for the other 23 1/2 hours. He is the most boring of my collection. Suggestions?