Habitat - Indoor :: Home-made above-tank basking areas

[Seroster]

Hey folks, I'm thinking that I want an above-enclosure basking area for my RES Herman, and I think we could put one together for him, but I'm wondering if anyone has an experience/advice on this type of thing? I like the look/setup of the Turtle Topper but I a.) I don't want to pay retail price for one b.) I hear they aren't big enough for full grown RES and I don't want to have to build one later after paying for a first one.

So does anyone have ideas/advice on the following:
Ramp length/width/material/lining
Wall and floor material/lining
Things/areas to attach lamps/lights etc.
Egg crate roofing: Neccesary? Better ideas? Better materials?
How to stabilize it on the enclosure
Would it be a good idea to add other objects to the area, say for lounging purposes?

And just about any other advice folks have for me would be much appreciated, I don't know that I'll be trying to put it together any time soon but I only want to have to build one once so I wanna do it right! THANKS!

[Diamondbacks4Life]

It isnt the best help but it gives you an idea of how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuDlnKxV6pI

[vear]

Ramp length/width/material/lining

The ramp length depends on how high your water is going to be, so it depends. You need to make sure it's not too steep so your turtle can climb easily. I made mine out of plexiglass and attached some of the rubber mat material that is used in the showers. Works wonders.

Wall and floor material/lining

My basking area is pretty much a wooden box, so the floor and wall are wood. Everything is way above the water, so it never gets wet. The lining I used was that fake grass they sell at the petstores. Although is pretty expensive and it's now coming apart. Perhaps you can find something better.

Things/areas to attach lamps/lights etc.

My lights are attached to the wooden walls. The walls are about 12" high, so it works well.

Egg crate roofing: Neccesary? Better ideas? Better materials?

I have no roof to it, because he can't climb out right now, 12" is really high for him. However, once he gets bigger I might have to think of something.

How to stabilize it on the enclosure

I originally cut the "floor" large enough to fit on a small ledge the tank has on the top. However, I then decided to secure it by attaching two angles(that I bent to look like an S) to the sides of the floor and sticking the S under the ledge. It's hard to explain so I probably made no sense - sorry. Anyway, it's really stable and I can just turn the S's when I want to remove it, so nothing is permanent.

Would it be a good idea to add other objects to the area, say for lounging purposes?

I didn't just because then he could probably get out, but if you have a roof for it, then why not.

[Seroster]

Yeah most of the reason I was thinking of roofing is to keep my cats out as much or more than keeping herman in... so...

[JAndres3]

Here is a link to an album of photos chronicling the construction of my RES above-tank basking box:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jmusic3/TurtleBaskingBoxConstruction?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMrKlfr1nufa0gE&feat=directlink
I'd be happy to answer any questions...

[steve]

Here is a link to an album of photos chronicling the construction of my RES above-tank basking box:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jmusic3/TurtleBaskingBoxConstruction?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMrKlfr1nufa0gE&feat=directlink
I'd be happy to answer any questions...

This looks very nice, do you want to create your own thread about it? Build threads are very popular and members might have questions

[ChangTang]

Here is a link to an album of photos chronicling the construction of my RES above-tank basking box:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jmusic3/TurtleBaskingBoxConstruction?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMrKlfr1nufa0gE&feat=directlink
I'd be happy to answer any questions...

It says October 9, 2009, not October 9, 2011 silly...