General Care Discussion :: real rocks !!!

[myboyblue]

Can i put real rocks in with my RES to bask , he wont use the artificial from petsmart. anything else that makes them happy.

thanks in advance

[ScrewZoo]

hes probably just getting used to the "artificial rocks" and regular rocks take up too much swimmin space.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Depends on what these real rocks are. If you are talking about stacking flat rocks up to make a basking surface, we highly advise against it unless you have some way of permanently securing them from falling. There are some ideas online, such as drilling a hole through the centers of them and using some type of glue as well. But unless you know what you are doing, look into other options, like making a basking area out of PVC and plexiglass, or an above tank basking area.

[SpotsMama]

My Spot basking outside on a smooth flagstone for awhile. At least it seemed smooth to me. It wasn't smooth enough, however, and he developed little abrasions on his plastron from sliding on and off the rock. It took several weeks of treatment to heal them. I wouldn't recommend rock for a basking area because I think rocks are too hard. A great alternative is cork bark. Cork bark floats, is soft enough so it won't damage a plastron, and turtles love it. That's what Spot uses now and he basks like a champ.

[marisa]

What do you mean he won't use artificial rocks from Petsmart?

How big is your turtle, how big is the tank and what's the water depth? If the water depth is at any appreciable level, you're going to have to stack the rocks or otherwise somehow arrange them to provide a basking area. And unless they're secured in place, there's always the chance they could shift. They also provide little if any traction to help your RES climb on them.

A basking area that allows for swimming underneath and doesn't take up room in the tank would be better to use. Depending on the size of your turtle and tank, buy a turtle dock, make a basking area with something like PVC pipe as a frame, or use corkbark (very natural looking).

[myboyblue]

He's using the artificial floater now. One of my dogs keeps sneaking up on the tank, and when he does solo dives into the water. So now after a day and a half the dog just walks up smoothly and solo doesnt even get off the floater anymore. At one point he was right up against the glass and the dog was just sitting there with their faces 6 inches apart.

He's swimming and eating and basking....I guess hes a turtle

[untsmurf]

Is the tank on the ground?

[myboyblue]

Its on a table, which reminds me, the table is stainless steel and I think is cooling down the water. do you recommend a towel or something underneath the tank.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Do you have a water heater? If you have a water heater, the temps shouldn't be too affected by the table top. I personally have one of those non-slip rubbery things under my tank, just in case, and it gives a little cushioning as well.

[myboyblue]

No heater yet, I picked up filter, reptile uv lamp, anacuris, reptisafe water conditioner and some inexpensive tank " bling" the only heater they had was $80 and I just couldnt get it today. .

The water is slightly below room temp Im sure, and the room temp is at about 72.

How important is the heater and how soon, his shell is still only a bit bigger than a tablespoon.

[TupacTheTurle]

very important, his water needs to be much warmer than that....like 80 if im not mistaken.

[SpotsMama]

For a turtle under 4", water temp of 78 degrees fahrenheit is recommended. Over 4", 75 degrees is fine. For a sick turtle, 80 to 82 degrees is recommended.

In all cases, basking temp needs to be around 10 degrees or more warmer than water temp.

[marisa]

I would definitely put something between the stainless surface and the glass tank to provide some insulation.

[myboyblue]

Yeah I bought some ocean themed cloth and wrapped it on a big warm towel and lined the underneath between tank and table.

Temp came up almost 3 degrees. And it looks cool too.

I did purchase the heater as well, I just wasnt resting easy..lol

thanks

[untsmurf]

Make sure you have thermometers for your tank. They're super cheap and easy to find.