Habitat - Outdoor :: New Outdoor Turtle Oasis!

[happycamper]

I made a place for Sheldon to soak up some sun! I added a elevated floor so I could have the paint roller tray as a little water area to help him regulate his temp. Then I added the lip on the top so he can't escape (he's like Houdini I swear), and it adds a ring of shade so he can get out of the sun if he gets too hot.

Also, on really hot days I can put cold water under the floor and I think this will help it from getting too hot in there.







He loves it! Every other thing I have built he has just frantically tried to escape the whole time. In this thing he seems to have accepted the fact that he is stuck in there, and when I startle him he slides into his water dish and I can tell he feels secure.

[steve]

I know how disappointed you were with the one from last year, glad you gave it another shot! Very cool idea with the paint tray. I think I've seen rain gutter splash blocks used for something similar. I like this a lot, how long have you been using it?

[happycamper]

Thanks Steve! He hung out in there once before I built the lip, I had to sit and watch him the whole time though. He could just barely reach up on his tiptoes and grab the top, then do a pull up and escape. Crazy how strong he is, and he is great at climbing!

Should be nice today, hopefully I can give it a try after work

[steve]

How big is Sheldon now? And what kind of tub is that?

[RosesNKeeks]

That's a very creative idea!

[happycamper]

That tub is actually the pond liner that I initially was planning as my outdoor turtle oasis. I quickly realized that ponds are a big pain in the butt. I even constructed the floor out of the plywood that I had from building that box last year, so in a way this is sort of a compilation of my last two years worth of failed attempts lol

Sheldon's shell is 5 1/2 inches long now, the wall that he was able to pull himself up on is 7 1/2 inches tall. The tub it's self at its widest point is a little over 3 feet in diameter. It doesn't seem like he has grown much over the last year.

[happycamper]

This kind of shows the scale of things

[VeipaCray]

That's a really good idea. How did you build the raised floor?

[happycamper]

The tub narrows at the bottom, so I cut a circle with the same radius of about the middle of the tub. I made it extra complicated for myself because I had 3 10 inch wide strips of plywood that I had to construct a perfect circle out of. And I cut a space so that the paint roller tray would sit in it perfectly, And then I covered the whole thing with Astroturf.

[VeipaCray]

So the plywood is just suspended by the sides of the tub?

I think I may copy your idea and stick one of these on my patio. I may add that left over piece of aluminum egg crate to the top to keep out any predators looking for a turtle meal. Thanks for sharing this!

[steve]

He's looking great. I like the "assume the position" photo.

[happycamper]

So the plywood is just suspended by the sides of the tub?

I think I may copy your idea and stick one of these on my patio. I may add that left over piece of aluminum egg crate to the top to keep out any predators looking for a turtle meal. Thanks for sharing this!

Hey sorry for the delay, actually the tub has some shelf like things that the floor is resting on. He has used it a few times now, he really enjoys it I think!

[VeipaCray]

AH that makes sense! Thanks!

I need to head over to my local hardware store and see if I can find something similar.

[michaelg]

Around here, Lowes and Home Depot sell them. It's a 20 or 30 gallon pre-formed pond.

-Michael

[happycamper]

Ya I got it at home depot, 35 gallon I believe.