General Care Discussion :: Basking? What do i use?

[chinlato]

Hi all, im setting up a bigger tank for my adult sliders, its a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft.

Question is, what kind of dock should i use for basking? There are zoo med turtle docks..large size, but will they be enough for an adult slider? And i risk the chance that it may chew it, my young sliders did sometimes.

If possible, could somebody give me an idea of how to make one and what with? I want my tank to be of display, so something nice and clean would do the trick.

Thanks.

[SSMcLeod]

There is always the option of using PVC pipe to make a stand and have a rock sit on it. Or if you can find a piece of cork board large enough and wedge it in place.

[steve]

chinlato, I use both of SSMcLeod's suggestions in my tanks. I have the PVC/Tile platform on the bottom of this page: http://www.redearslider.com/custom_platforms.html

[chinlato]

Nice, is there anyways to make it look really natural? I like the zoomeds, the large size will hold a large res wouldnt it? I may have to construct a dock if it doesnt..but i dont quite get the pvc setup lol..thanks.

[steve]

You can use corkbark on top of the tile. If you can find corkbark that is 2' long, then you can use just that as a wedge. My female RES had trouble with the large dock even though she wasn't that big at the time.

What don't you get about the PVC?

[Zorce]

I did my PVC setup in less than 20 minutes. Its cheap and functional. Mine hangs as opposed to sitting in the tank.
A PVC cutter will make your life easier though.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=28708

[chinlato]

nice, would it be safe to get the largest zoo med dock? I like the look of it, but id need to place two since theres two turtles.

Im still thinking of ideas, id like to be able to fill the water up all the way, so atba might be the solution..although if i do that i want to present it well..can anyone show me some good ones? Preferably with instructions.

Thanks

[SSMcLeod]

You do not need a basking area for each turtle - they will often share (or even use each other) The more you add to the tank, the more space it takes up that your turtles could be using for swimming and such

[cprcheetah]

My husband made an above tank one with a plastic storage bin. He cut a hole in the end and then heated it up and bent it down for the ramp, then put a lid to another storage container we had on the sides so he couldn't escape and to help him get up. I now have some carpeting in there so he can get up easier and has something to lay on while he's basking. Then we cut a hole in the lid just big enough for the heat light. It's worked for 4+ years. We do use a wire top instead of the normal hoods so he can get up, and we have it over the ramp so he can't escape.

ETA ***We have since modified it and leave the container open and have cubes around it so he has both of his lights on top of the basking area.

[my.lovely.turtle.]

You also need a UV light for the turtle.

[cprcheetah]

That picture was taken a few years back (when I was still learning the ins & outs of turtles), forgot to mention I have modified it and have cubes around it (so he can't get out) and the container is open with both the required lights on top of the cubes.

[worldpeace]

http://turtleaffairs.wordpress.com/2010 ... s-the-day/
That's the dock I built a few months ago. It's sturdy, clean-looking, and very easy to make. Photos, materials and instructions are in the blog post.

[steve]

http://turtleaffairs.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/creativity-saves-the-day/
That's the dock I built a few months ago. It's sturdy, clean-looking, and very easy to make. Photos, materials and instructions are in the blog post.

Very nice!

[worldpeace]

http://turtleaffairs.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/creativity-saves-the-day/
That's the dock I built a few months ago. It's sturdy, clean-looking, and very easy to make. Photos, materials and instructions are in the blog post.

Very nice!

Thanks, Steve. Charlotte was eating the ZooMed dock like it was apple pie and I had to replace it with something that she couldn't bite into. She's been going at this one as well but since it's hard plastic she can't destroy it.