Habitat - Indoor :: floating dock advice

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:33 pm   floating dock advice

I'm currently using 2 zoomed floating docks one on top of the other since Sammie is kinda heavy. It worked fine for a long time but now he's a little bigger and heavier and the area near the ramp is damp/wet when he basks. The other thick end stays dry. I'm worried that his underside will not dry out but he some times turns around so his tail side dries. Am I worrying too much? I was thinking about siliconing a piece of styrofoam between the 2 ramps to give it more floating power. Do you think this will help? Any comments and suggestions are appreciated.
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:45 pm   Re: floating dock advice

How big is the tank? There are a few options I can think of, from small to large... resin platform, multilevel acrylic ramp, cork bark, and PVC/tile.
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steve
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 2:10 pm   Re: floating dock advice

I'd be cautious of using styrofoam without some sort of hardener / protective coating on it. Your inquisitive turtle may nip at it and ingest.
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 4:59 pm   Re: floating dock advice

Sammie lives in my bathroom garden tub. I don't know how many gallons but it's standard builder grade. It's oval and I have his basking dock stuck on the back side. The tub sides slightly slope inward so nothing can sit right next to the side. His lighting sits on a strip of closet rack spanning from end to end on the back side of the tub. I prefer not to move the lighting since this area is the most secure. As far as nibbling on the styrofoam, I can use cork if that's better. I've seen other commercial docks but I'm not sure they are strong enough to support Sammie's weight.
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:16 pm   Re: floating dock advice

Do you have a picture of it?
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steve
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:22 pm   Re: floating dock advice

I think your best bet is to have a fixed-position table for your turtle. The only real drawback that comes to me at this moment is that any water loss through evaporation has to be hastily replaced to make sure that the platform is accessible. A long ramp with a slight incline can help this slightly and give you leeway as far as water depth.
-Chris
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