viewtopic.php?f=6&t=30689 < grumpybird's thread that my idea is similar to.
The loss of Charlie was overwhelming and I was afraid to take Sunny and Lily out for walks in the garden. I decided that this was unfair as the incident was due to my carelessness (Search for Charlie still on though
) and they should be given time to explore too. So I decided to create a mini turtle play-garden.This is pretty useful for those turtle owners who do not have a garden but would still like to let their turtle enjoy a little life-in-a-garden.
Things used:
SAMLA 12gallon storage bin - IKEA.
Used as the overall play garden. It comes in both opaque (black) and semi-translucent (white). I have used the white one for easy viewing. Younger hatchlings would prefer an opaque environment depending on their shyness. The 12G storage bin was not designed to hold water and will not be holding water in the play-garden set-up. It costs about $9 SGD for a 12g. I would not reccomend buying a large but short, heightwise storage bin to minimize escapes. As your turtle will not live in this play garden permanently, about 2-5g per inch of shell should be sufficient.
Square Tupperware
Used as the mini pond. Tupperware needs not be square, and should not take up a huge area (more than half) of the play garden to allow more digging space. A cheaper alternative is a plastic container, similar to those you buy takeaways in. A small hole at the bottom can be created using a sharp instrument to allow water drainage into the soil, to loosen it. Shapes, sizes and prices vary.
Bag of soil
Not sure which soil would be best, but depending on turtle age at least enough soil to at least allow the turtle to be hidden out of sight, slightly above shell. RES do like to dig and hide when shy or just for fun. It costs about less than $5 SGD for a packet. Do not fill storage bin to the top or leaving very little space to minimize escapes. At the most you should fill the storage bin to half for hatchlings and quarters for yearlings.
OPTIONAL:
Shoots/Seeds
To add variety to your playgarden and turtle's diet, you can purchase a bag of seeds/shoots of some turtle-approved plants (aka. Grass, waterweed...). Turtles may take a little nibble at the plants, or if you'd like, use the playgarden as a mini garden to grow your own plants for turtle consumption.
As a note:
You should customize the playgarden according to your turtle's needs and my information above may be incorrect. This is just a little fun, unnecessary thing that most people who are more mature than me would not even consider xD
As for maintenance, clearing out the tupperware after every play session should suffice. Tip: Use the excess water to loosen the soil/water the plants in the playgarden :3
