Habitat - Indoor :: New turtles!

[ajozwiak]

Well here is what I have for them so far. Here they are on their basking rock. One definitely uses it more than the other one.
They really like that there is a cave underneath this where they can hide, but I am concerned that as they grow they will get stuck under there. I'll have to change it eventually.

This is them swimming around behind the rock. There is a much larger swimming area on the other side of this - and, boy, do they like to swim! The woman who had them before me was keeping them in a teeny bit of water in a teeny little box. I think this is their first time swimming. They certainly are happy! They really seem to enjoy playing with and eating the dandelion leaves that I started putting in there. They also enjoy eating meal worms and their turtle pellets.
I know I still have a lot to learn about these guys. I guess I bought the wrong kind of basking light for them, so I'll get the proper UVB bulb later on this week. I also really want to get a water filter so I'm not changing the water everyday. Right now it's very warm here so I haven't looked into getting any sort of water heater yet, but that will have to be purchased as well. My concern is that I am keeping them in a large plastic storage container as opposed to a glass aquarium. I found a filter that will work just fine, but the water heater is a concern. Will these melt the plastic?
Any advice at all is greatly appreciated!

[missibsu]

That's a good question about the heater melting the plastic. I've never heard of it happening, but some heaters do tend to get warm. I have stealth heater and I can touch it and not worry, but not all are like that from what I understand.

Are the rocks that your turtles bask on stacked or are they actually preformed and attached to each other? I would be careful with the cave as they grow, you don't want one to get stuck.

[cprcheetah]

You have some cute turtles! If you haven't already go ahead and read the basic care site and all the stickies on this forum...lots of reading I know but it will tell you everything you need for the basics such as the tank, filters, heaters, lights, thermometers, basking spots, proper feeding. As long as the heater was submersible one and doesn't touch the plastic you should be fine.

[ajozwiak]

Thanks! I didn't really think about the fact that submersible heaters would have to be safe for the turtles to touch as well. If they are safe enough for them, then they shouldn't melt the plastic. <br><br>The rocks are preformed and attached to each other. It was just something I picked up at the store. Like I said, I know that's going to have to be replaced so they don't get stuck when they get bigger. I'll keep it for now though since they are afraid of everything and like to be able to hide! Maybe I'll be able to find some nice rocks at the beach for a new basking area later.

[missibsu]

Zoo Med makes a couple of different solutions for basking areas. I'd say the most popular is their dock, although they have a floating log as well. If you get a basking area that floats you will have a lot more swimming room available.

Have some rocks on the bottom is fine too. Your turtles will enjoy pushing them around and redecorating. Just make sure they are large enough that they can't eat.