Habitat - Outdoor :: Help With Setting a New Home For Scooter.

[Kamoodle]

I have been wanting to give Scooter a new home outside on the backyard patio to get real sun and a much bigger home to swim around. I have many problems to it though.

For one, my dad would definitely not want me to do something like dig up his backyard (yes, I live in his house) to create a turtle pond. It would be way too expensive for me on the other hand. The second problem is I do plan on keeping my turtle on our concrete patio, not out in the grass if I were to buy a tub or pool for her, and the patio is big but not big enough.

So far, I have been browsing around for kiddie pools. Here's where another branch of problems set in. I have seen only inflatables so far and I don't want to waste money on them in case there ever is a hole somewhere and the pool deflates, which may give Scooter a chance to escape. Scooter could also very much puncture the pool with her razor-sharp claws (if she can pierce through my skin with her claws, then that could happen, too). Then the only plastic tub kiddie pools I did see are all circular. Since my patio isn't big enough for a circular pool, those would take up too much room.

So, I am only looking for a plastic tub that is rectangular or square, something to fit on our patio well. The only thing I have seen that fits that description well are those storage tubs I've seen in Walmart. The biggest I've seen are 50 gallons and they're not transparent. At Scooter's size, 50 is better than her current home but still not enough.

I don't have the money to pay for something very expensive. I did see those turtle tubs online but being as they are perfect, they're too expensive. I do plan on if I ever find a new home for Scooter, the baby can have the tank until it's grown enough to live with her once I feel comfortable enough putting them both together.

So, that is what I need help on at the moment. My dad and I are going to take a look at those storage tubs at Walmart possibly tomorrow and see what he thinks about them.

[steve]

Have you thought about stock tanks? They come in a variety of sizes and are pretty indestructible. While they are not cheap, they will last a lifetime.

[Kamoodle]

Is it a fairly good idea to have an aquarium tank outside? My dad has been mentioning I should find something that is transparent for Scooter so she can enjoy the sun no matter where she is. Then, if I were to have the tank outside, he suggested something like a very strong table or a stand to hold the tank up on. This can prevent animals like dogs or raccoons from getting to Scooter.

[steve]

If you move a glass or acrylic aquarium outside it means one thing... it's too small. That means it will cool up and down too quickly. That means it probably doesn't have enough water. How big is scooter now?

[Kamoodle]

I think she is about six inches or close to it by the shell.

The current tank I have is a standard 30 by 12 by 12. That's what she's been living in for nearly two years.

[steve]

She still has some growing to do, so I'd go for a stock tank.

[Kamoodle]

Is there a site online or a store that sells them?

Just today my dad bought a couple of storage bins for the turtles. They're fine for only the baby though; they're too small for Scooter. He even mentioned there was another of what he bought that's bigger, like he estimated 116 quarts. Yet, that's only 29 gallons. We've been arguing about it and I know the idea will half not work. Besides, I was thinking of keeping the baby in the aquarium after I move Scooter out into something bigger.

EDIT: I found a couple suggestions of where to find stock tanks in. I can drive a bit to the Tractor Supply and see what they have.

[michaelg]

Have you looked into pre-formed ponds? The Home Depot here in town is having a clearance sale on their pre-formed ponds. Ours had 160 gallon one on sale for about $50. They currently have a 125 gallon one for $41. The 160 gallon is the largest that our Home Depot carried. I'm waiting to see if the 125 gallon will get any cheaper. They don't hold as much water as a stock tank, but they are a good bit cheaper and defintiely look nicer than stock tanks in my opinion. You can build a surround around it out of wood or stone to allow the turtles to crawl out onto land. Since they aren't as tall as a stock tank you can also plant flowers around it.

-Michael

[Gracie Turts]

She still has some growing to do, so I'd go for a stock tank.

+1

how much room do you have for a stock tank? if you don't find a good stock tank, you can give one of the hard-shell kiddie pools a try.
kiddie pool: ~200 gallons for 13 bucks. can't beat that.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.js ... Id=3975342
http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product ... 356reg.jpg

[steve]

Don't forget to check craigslist for used stocktanks and ponds. They're easy to clean and will be cheaper that what you can find at TSC. The thing with pools and ponds is that they will require more effort to setup and secure than a stock tank.

[Kamoodle]

Well, I am going to give up on the idea with kiddie pools because there are none of them that are rectangular or square. The round ones will take up too much room on the backyard patio. The round pools will be like an accident waiting to happen if we're walking by. If we had a bare patch in the backyard, yes, that would work, but we don't.