Habitat - Indoor :: is this okay?

[pumpkinsherbet]

i wanted to create more dark "hiding spots" for the little ones, and also attract them to the basking spot. i still don't know if they're basking, but there haven't been any changes in their shell so maybe? they certainly like to hang around the ramp.

anyways, to do this i put both the uva and uvb bulbs in the basking area, and instead of covering the tank with plexi glass i used an opaque blue lid. the holes in the basking area do still allow some of the lighting to come through into the tank, and for a couple of hours of the day a small part of their tank gets direct sunlight (i've monitored temps, they do not overheat).

i just want to make sure the setup allows for proper lighting as well as good hiding spots. it looks like this (and no, the tank is not THAT dark, just poor lighting in the room when i was taking the picture).

[yertle_the_girl_turtle]

Cool! But, how did you get that Petco thingy

[Starchick]

Bwahaha thief!

[scripta_elegans]

That is too funny. Seriously, did you run off with it?

[pumpkinsherbet]

i bought some stuff, got the bag, put it in the basket and said ''i'm taking the basket" and walked out. they didn't blink so i assume they didn't care.

so it's okay that i'm doing that with the lights?

[Starchick]

LOL that's hilarious, I'd never be that bold! Go you!

As far as the lighting, I can't think of why that would be a problem. It seems like blocking the top of the tank would just reduce the amount of algae you have to deal with. I'm sure if there's a good reason that it shouldn't be like that someone will correct me but I can't think of one!

[Hoooneylynn]

Can your turts climb through the holes of that basket?

[DavidY]

That is just too funny, you walking out with their basket!

As far as the light, turtles can often be found in areas of a pond that have a lot of water lily cover, so I'd imagine it would be similar to the conditions you're creating. It would be interesting to see if that really coaxes them to use their basking area more.

[pumpkinsherbet]

Can your turts climb through the holes of that basket?

on the left hand side, there's not enough of an anchor area for them to even get to the holes. on the right side, there's the cup blocking the holes. the rest of the holes are covered with the plexiglass, with that green stuff on the outside so they can't grip and climb it. so they're okay

[adam85491]

Does that basket just sit on there, or did you silicon it to the tank?

[Rocky YBS]

hahahahahaha thats very funny lol. thief lol.

look at the basket(top left) do i see a turt trying to climb out?
im not too sure, it looks a bit like a turt.

[DavidY]

I zoomed in on the pic. It looks like she's got some plastic plants in the corners, but not an escaping turt.