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Hi

i recently purchased a turtle dock here in the UK, but it was really rubbish even though i tried to make it accomodating by cutting it or breaking it, but she keeps pulling the thing of.

anyway i went onto the pet shop place on line and found the ocks you guys use, from Zoo med. the only thing is that it is quite expensive i think when i ship it over. so i went onto Ebay and found on that has been used, and it is will probably work out cheaper.

i was wondering though whether it matters if it has been used by another turtle, i terms of hygiene. the buyer says that his turtle grew out of it, not that the turtle was ill or anything.

should i spray it with some turtle safe disinfectant?

the other thing is im kind of confused coz i thought having a UVB light was all i needed, but do i need to put a normal light over her head too? i mean for basking?

My first reaction would be to use bleach but I'm thinking that might damage the dock. I'm not sure what it's made of, but I've had a couple that tended to fall apart. I know some people use vinegar for cleaning but I'm not sure if that's actually a disinfectant or if it just helps remove crud. I suppose you could by some of the disinfectant they sell at the store for turtles and then maybe rinse it off and let it sit a day or two before putting it in the tank. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

I can't offer any other information about the dock, Jen pretty much covered what I was thinking. I might be willing to risk the bleach, but then I'm not paying the big bucks for the product like you are.

As for lighting, you will need an additional regular lightbulb to provide heat.

I've used a diluted bleach on my zoomed dock to get rid of a horrid algae buildup and it didn't do any harm. I also used baking soda as an abrasive. Just make sure you rinse it in hot water to get all the residue off.. and if you think you've rinsed it enough, rinse it again

How much is this dock costing you in USD? And what size is it?

the comment about the extra light bulb............ my tank has a heater though? does she need more heat?

thanks for the dock advice.......... the dock costs around $8.99 for a small one which is about 11x5, but im not sure if that is in inches, but i think it is.

the guy on ebay has his on auction and at the moment it is at 99 cent i think. i dont know how much the shipping costs will be yet, i supoose it doesn't cost much more than what i payed here for the one i got, around £10 in total. which really isnt alot.

if i consider that the dock will cost around £5 and the shipping cost is £5. but it could be more than £5 shipping cost.

oh i dont know. but i think that the small size is gonna be too small kindo f soon.

http://www.everythingforpets.com/category/use.dept.5/

http://www.seapets.co.uk/home-page.html

http://www.livefoodsbypost.co.uk/index. ... on=SITEMAP

you can get the zoomed dock at these places in the UK, everything for pets is based in scarborough, so was delivered in a few days to me in Leeds.

The small dock is suitable for a few hatchlings but won't hold a medium or adult turtle. The medium dock is ok for about a 5in turtle but won't hold much more. The large may hold one adult with some sinking. I say all this because I've tried them all and that was my experience with them. I don't know how big your turtle is but I'd go for the medium now.

Now about the lights, you said you have uvb. That's good but doesn't produce heat. You'll need another bulb for that. The basking temp should be about 10degrees F warmer than the water. I keep mine at 90

Do you know how long it's been since the dock was used (many germs don't live forever)? You could use a weak solution of bleach and water (try 2 oz to a gallon of water), just don't soak the dock in it. Vinegar has a slight disinfectant property, but nothing like bleach.

Your turtle needs both a UVB light and a heat source (which can be a regular lightbulb, both should be positioned over the basking area. A basking area temp of 88-90F is good.

guys thanks v much. unfortunetly the seller on ebay wont even ship to London.

i try the links you recommended.

thanks again.