Habitat - Indoor :: No Basking Spot ATM

[tenlientl]

My turtle just went from a 20 gallon to a 75 gallon.. Well.. The 75 doesnt have a basking area atm.. I dont wanna buy one. I'm thinking of making one. The thing is.. I doubt I can make one under a week. Will my turtle survive without one? He doesnt require to sit out the water?

Thanks again

Another thing.. The tank is like 2 feet away from where we usually eat our food(table, lol).. This is fine, correct? Not like the water's gonna splash to our plate/table and give us bacteria we dont want.

[N4784N R4613]

What where you using in your old 20 gallon for a basking spot? Can you just put that in you tank for now? If you can't, you could always take him outside for 30 minutes everyday until you build something , just make sure it is AT LEAST 70F out, and he always has access to shade so he won't overheat. Oh, and with the tank being so close to where you eat you just have to be REALLY careful, never set any turtle stuff on the table, and be VERY careful not to splash the table, and of course, ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER TOUCHING ANYTHING THAT THE TURTLE MIGHT HAVE TOUCHED!! Even if you just put your hand in the water, wash with antibacterial soup.

[jenaero]

Does he have anywhere to rest?

[tenlientl]

It was an 'above basking area'. It wont fit over the new one because it's too big.

And for a place to rest.. No. Not really atm. Maybe I should purchase a floating docking station today when I go get an xP3. I could always have 2 basking areas once I make my own anyways

Also.. I'm thinking of getting the T-Rex bulb for the uva/uvb.. But Petsmart only carries the 160 watt. Maybe I should just purchase the Powersun.. But the Powersun 100 watt is more expensive.

[DavidY]

Yes, get a floating dock and maybe some plastic plants that the turtle can rest on and still be able to stick his head above water to breath. The turtle must be able to get completely out of the water to dry off and soak in some heat and UV light. Otherwise they risk shell rot, fungus, bone disease, etc.

[DavidY]

It was an 'above basking area'. It wont fit over the new one because it's too big.

And for a place to rest.. No. Not really atm. Maybe I should purchase a floating docking station today when I go get an xP3. I could always have 2 basking areas once I make my own anyways

Also.. I'm thinking of getting the T-Rex bulb for the uva/uvb.. But Petsmart only carries the 160 watt. Maybe I should just purchase the Powersun.. But the Powersun 100 watt is more expensive.

What is the room temperature that the turtle is in right now and what is the water temperature? You could use a 160 watt but you would have to keep it further away from the basking platform and you would have to watch the temperature of both the platform and the water very closely so you don't overheat them. Also, make sure it's the flood lamp and not the spot light. If it were me I would get the 100 watt flood since there's a risk of eye/skin/shell damage and overheating from the higher watt bulb. The cost in electricity to run the 160w over the 100w will also be 60% more which will add up over the long run.

[tenlientl]

Thanks David. Maybe I'll just buy that temp floating dock. It might take a while before I can get the T-Rex then. I might have to order it online to get a 100watt.

[SpotsMama]

I think you'd be smart to wait and get the 100watt T-Rex flood. it's a wonderful bulb. that's what I would do.

Also, you can't go wrong with one of the floating docks. If you've got it in place you won't feel pressured to rush with the custom built basking area.

[tenlientl]

Thing is.. I was reading up some things about it. Some people complaint after a while saying it starts to sink.

[SpotsMama]

Spot used a floating dock for years and really liked it. He never bite it like I've heard some turtles do. He always had a cuttlebone in his tank so maybe that's why - I don't know.

As Spot got bigger and bigger I got bigger and bigger docks. When he started getting close to 6" long the big dock started riding pretty low in the water when he was on it. I then cut up pieces of another dock and glued them to the bottom of the big dock and that gave it enough buoyancy to hold him up. I switched to one of the plexiglass docks a couple of months ago just because I like the way they look and Spot really loves it too.

If your turtle isn't too big one of the floating docks will be fine.