Habitat - Indoor :: Giving My Turtles a Better Habitat

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:11 pm   Re: Giving My Turtles a Better Habitat

mangosoda wrote:I'll keep this all in mind! Thank you for the indoor advice. Do you know whether it's more expensive to keep them inside or outside?


Most likely more expensive to keep them inside. Outdoors, you have magnificent sunlight to provide heat and UVB. Unless you run a large water heater and large water pumps for filtering, an outside habitat should be cheaper. Think, inside you'd need a water heater, UVB light, heat light, plus a large filter. Factor in things like UVB light replacement cost, which is recurring. Electricity used by heat lamp and UVB lamp. Outside, yes there is the additional cost of having to secure them, but that can be done with some cheap chicken wire, and it's not a recurring cost... when winter comes around, though, you may have to take them indoors. Then an indoor habitat (including lights, filter, heater etc.) is needed anyways. In this case, it would come out more expensive to have them outdoors, as you would need an indoor habitat anyways.

Also, you don't want to leave the tank in an area that receives too much sunlight, as the water could heat up significantly, especially in the summer months. Partial shade would be advised. Just something to think about.

If you want something to quickly get them out, I suggest saving for a stock tank. Pro for this is they are relatively cheap for what you get (practically indestructible) and are generally wider than they are deeper, which is good for the turtles. More horizontal swimming room. Of course the cons of this is that you will no longer have a side view of the turtles. Also, they do take up quite a bit of space. Usually the issue isn't related to the vertical space a tank takes up, but rather the horizontal floor space it takes up.

Just remember, upgrading to a larger tank means you need a filter up to the task. You can either purchase one (usually not very cheap) or you can build one. There are builds online for "canister" type filters made of PVC, and even 5 gallon buckets. More economical than store bought filters, but do require some work on your end.

As you can probably tell, having a turtle is a lot of work! Well worth it to people who love their turtles, but realize it's a commitment.

Good luck :mrgreen: :msgreen: 8)
rambologic
 
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