Habitat - Indoor :: NEW TWO LEVEL SETUP!!!!!! Changin it (NEED ADVISE!!!)

[SaweetTURTLE:)]

yeasterday i setup i Two levke setup for my Baby RES he seems to like it so far... i will post pics later... any advice for a 'find at home' ramp? does any one know where i can get some kind of netting or somthing i can use so my turtle cant get out??? next time i get on ill post some pics

[marisa]

Some pics would be good so people could make some concrete suggestions. How high is the water level?

What's a "find at home" ramp? Do you mean an above the tank basking area?

[untsmurf]

I think what she means is that she built an above tank basking area and needs a ramp so the turts can get up there. And by find at home, I think she wants one that she doesn't have to buy. Like people that use cereal boxes for hides for other types of animals.

[SaweetTURTLE:)]

thats exactly what i mean.... and im a she not a he...... i am trying to post pics tonight

[SaweetTURTLE:)]

Here are two pics.... tomarrow i will try to get on at a different angle..






any suggeations....... i am getting a better top woth netting.. if i cannot find one i will make one and about the stand.... in shop i am going to make a better one...... its going to be great

[untsmurf]

Okay, the basking area isn't receiving any UVB because the plastic is blocking it. I would also take out the sand. It can get under the turtle and get into your filter. And I can't tell what your ramp is made out of but make sure it isn't leaking any chemicals into the water. And you might want to get a better thermometer, those magnet ones aren't accurate enough.

[SaweetTURTLE:)]

if not sand then what? plus he hasnt even went up there once... i think the ramp is to steep.... but i have no other way of putting it.... i know about the UVB light not getting throughafter i took the pic yesterday i moved it o nthe other side... im gettin a regular light soon....i soaked the wood in water first... i think its wood... thats what it looks like... my dad was helping me find a ramp and that has to do for now unless anyone else has an idea

[untsmurf]

They don't really need anything for a substrate on a basking area. As long as they have traction, they should be fine.

And if the UV light is too far away, it won't be effective either... you might try and look for an enclosure without a solid top.

And you need a thermometer for the basking area to make sure you aren't cooking your turt.

[Safdar]

Agree with everything that was said

Also do you think the ramp is a little to steep
He/She might not beable to climb it to reach the basking area

[untsmurf]

Steep and too slick... they might not be able to get traction.

[cooleststan]

just cut the top off of that plastic box, itll make everything a lot easier. also, that ramp looks like it might work if you add more water, and make it at a lower angle. it still might be too slick though, so find another ramp

[SaweetTURTLE:)]

there is a thermometer on the side of the little aquarium....... i pointed the uvb light right toward the basking spot and is gettin plenty of light.... the ramp is sturdy and rough enough for him to climb... this morning he was a inch from the very top and then he saw me and turned around and went back into hiding..... okay about the sand.... but there is a lip on the small aquarium preventing him from getting out of it...plastic box??? what are you talking about??

[xsavingsaturdayx]

That plastic thing that you have as an out of tank basking area, it blocks UVB rays so even though it gets 'light' it doesnt receive any UVB rays making the UVB light useless and your turtle prone to getting shell diseases.

The ramp also looks like its too steep and probably slippery, you need something that he can easily hold onto. I'd say for now just forget the idea and hit back to the drawing board..look for someone on the forum who has made a successful out of tank basking area and ask them how to do it, step by step.

[oobie58]

Can they even get up the ramp? Why not go with a basking dock?

[megcornell]

To lessen the angle of the board why not add more water and then slope the board more, so that it's not so steep? You're still going to need to add some traction, I don't think the turtle can get up something so slick.
I see your UVB bulb but where is the UVA one? The heat from that is what entices a turtle to bask in the first place.
Truthfully, it looks like you'd be better off buying a dock. That set up just doesn't seem to work. Sorry.
What were you using before you tried an out of tank basking area? Maybe in the mean time you can go back to that?