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The other day, my heater shattered. (The tank was empty at the time, so my turtle is fine.) I did my best to clean everything up and take away all the hazardous materials. But I couldn't get some of the black sandy stuff out of the corner of the tank. Is this hazardous to the turtle? Right now, he's not in the tank, but in a separate basin outside of it, because I was concerned about the black stuff being harmful to it.

I'm not sure if that stuff is toxic or not. I've never had that happen, but I know how hard it can be to get the last of a fine sandy material out of a tank. I've never tried it but it occurred to me that maybe you could lift the last of it out by using some modeling clay or something like that to pick up the last of it.

How about using a turkey baster to suction it up?

marisa wrote:How about using a turkey baster to suction it up?

Agreed. I think a turkey baster is a "must have" for any turtle owner anyway... great for picking up poop in between tank cleanings.

Both the clay and the turkey baster are great ideas, and I'll definitely look into places that sell them. Thanks for the great ideas!!!

I buy turkey basters cheaply at discount stores (about $1 each). If the rubber bulb cracks or the baster gets otherwise worn, I replace it with a new one.