Habitat - Indoor :: basking

[turtlelover95]

I can't find a good platform for basking. I have tried almost everything. I saw the pics in the gallery and they have great ideas. I have 2 questions about some of the set ups. The first one is about using PVC pipes...How do you weigh them down? Don't the turts knock them over? Mine seem to knock everything over. The second one is about the one with seperate wood platform with ramp....how do they not escape? I would think that they would climb right over where the ramp meets the top of the aquarium.
Thanks!!!

[octpusgirl8]

If you're not handy there are several good commercially made basking docks for turtles. The most common is the zoo med turtle dock, it floats and is anchored to the side by suction cups. Another good one is an acrylic ramp that suctions to the side, i use this kind and like it a lot. It's sturdy enough to hold a really big turtle, and it looks good and is easy to clean.
I think in the pictures of the above tank basking areas you are looking at it's hard to see, but people put plexiglass so that the turtles can't go over the sides. Above tank areas are great because they let you fill the whole tank with water to maximize the swimming area.

[megcornell]

Since your turtles are so large yo may have trouble with the commercial docks, I know some other people with large turtles have had to reinforce their floating docks with more suction or with more buoyancy. As for the PVC, I think the weight of the tiles on top should be enough to weigh it down. If not you could always add some sand to the pipe as long as you cap the ends. With the above tank basking most people extend the sides of the box so that it blocks the area where the ramp comes out of the water, preventing the turtle from climbing over. Or, as octupusgirl said, a lot of people add a length of plexiglass to achieve the same blocking effect.

[untsmurf]

I have the largest turtle dock and it works great, i think it should last quite a while. How big are your turts?

[marisa]

If you're using PVC and don't have something heavy on top weighing the pipes down, you could cap the ends and fill the pipes with small stones.

You could also use corkbark for a basking area (no need for PVC).

[SpotsMama]

Marisa, do just let cork bark float like a raft or do you attach it to something?

[steve]

If ceramic tile is used on the PVC platform, it will easily weigh it down. You can also fill it with water but the tile is more than enough. It can get pretty heavy after 4 or 5 12"x12" tiles.

For me, cork bark needs to be wedged in so you can push part of it down to be submerged. My RES just can't climb on top if it when it's freely floating. I'm currently having trouble getting my cork bark to fit nicely so I'm going to attach a lower level to it just to make it more accessible.

[SpotsMama]

Ok. thanks.

[turtlelover95]

my turts are HUGE (compared to most of the pics on this site). I still have to measure them. I tried the zoo med dock and thought it was terrible. They couldn't get on it, it kept unsuctioning, and they thought it was a toy. I think I'm going to try the out of the water dock. I have 2 aqauriums (because my male irritates the females with his fluttering) so I think I might try to do what another meember did and join the 2 tanks with the dock. I think my turts would love that!!!

[turboturtle8]

3Have you tried a acrylic platform yet here is a good website

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 006+113872

[turtlelover95]

no, how does that attach to the tank? I can't tell from the pic. I think I'm going to do a combining basking platform. I think that would give them more space to frolick around!!

[N4784N R4613]

It attaches with very strong suction-cups...
If it can hold Sheba, it can hold any-turtle!!!

[turboturtle8]

lol

They work pretty good