Turtle enclosures

[8ball]

I'm going to get some turtles and I was just wondering should they have more land than water? Post pic's of enclosures if you can

 

[iturnrocks]

Assuming you are getting aquatic turtles like painted, RES, cooters, maps- they only need enough land to get out of the water completely. This can be accomplished by creating a small platform on the top of your tank. Then you can fill your aquarium all the way up. Here are some pics from my 120 gallon turtle tank.

 

[AviculariaLover]

I had baby painted turtles we caught in my backyard just after they hatched. We figured we would raise them until they were big enough to have a better chance of survival in our pond and the swamp in the woods behind our house.

We kept them in a 20 gallon tank with gravel on the bottom and about four to six inches of water. The gravel was sloped at one end for them to sit with their heads comfortably above the water. There were plenty of rocks for them to bask on, and a board that was put in the tank diagonally so they could climb up to be under the lamp. Once they got bigger we added more water and took out some rocks to give them more room to swim around. They seemd quite happy to have room to swim, they could hide under the board for safety, or bask in any number of places in sunlight from the window, or from the lamp above their tank. They were released this summer.

Turtles definitely need places to stretch out and bask. Mine would always strike the typical "superman" pose, stretching out their head and all their limbs, close their eyes and soak up the warmth. But they also need enough room to swim around and explore without feeling cramped. Once a turtle becomes full grown it will practically need a kiddie pool to live in. I've seen adult red eared sliders in pet stores that were HUGE! People had gotten rid of them because they were so hard to care for at that size.

So make sure you know what you're getting yourself into, and will have the resources to provide a large enclosure for an adult turtle. They don't need "land", but lots of water with places for them to climb out to dry off and bask. Pet stores sell floating platforms that attach to the side of the tank that work quite well.

 

[PrettyHate]

Keep in mind they also need UVA/UVB lighting- it is very important for them- especially when they are growing. Without it they cannot properly absorb calcium and their shell will become soft and flimsy.

This is a picture of my 70 gallon turtle tank.

And my boys

 

[iturnrocks]

Heres one of my more "natural" basking spots- from back when I was in the process of filling up my 120 gal.

I guess Ill add this as well. In case you want to build a canopy hood. Advantages are it holds heat and humidity in the air above the water, so you use less electricity to heat the tank, and you can use a lower wattage basking bulb because all your heat wont be dissipating into the room. Also allows you to fill the tank all the way to the top so you dont get that annoying "water line" on the glass.

This pic explains the basic idea. I recommend covering the wood with multiple coats of polyeurethane, otherwise the wood will absorb moisture and warp and/or rot. Once sealed, you can just wipe the inside with a damp cloth. If I could do it all over again, i would not slant the front of mine with the window. The window fogs up a lot, and although it it fun to watch the turtle bask, I believe it is more comfortable for the turtle to bask in private. I have to sneak up on him to catch him on the basking spot, otherwise he dives when he sees someone coming.

Another advantage is you can use the normal power filter instead of having to deal with the mess of a submerged one. Of course a better option is a canister filter. On my 120 I built my own heavy duty wet/dry. It runs with a 1200 gph pump so it really keeps the water moving. My turtle is a much better swimmer than people who keep theirs in 6 inches of water. Its actually a 2 tank filter. Water flows from the 120 into a 20 gal, then the filter, then back into the 120 gal.

Heres my external overflow box

And heres the large siphon that pulls water from the 120 to the 20 gal.

 

[mindlessvw]

i have a 75 gallon aquarium with one of the turtle islands you can get from petsmart and my guy seems fine!

 

[TNeal]

for my 125 gallon turtle/fish tank I used household cutting boards tied to the braces at the top of the tank. This brought them up so the tank could be filled up normally.

What I did to keep them in was to use glass to line the sides of the tank. The glass was placed on the front and both sides. The back had the filters positioned in such a way so that the turtles could not get out.

The flourescent UVB lamp was placed high enough so that the turtles could get under it. The basking lamp used a reptile basking bulb. The lamp was one of those clip on lanps you can find at walmart.

It actually looked quite natural. I loved it when I would walk into the room and they would rush into the water, splashing, just like in the wild.

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

[iturnrocks]

for my 125 gallon turtle/fish tank I used household cutting boards tied to the braces at the top of the tank.

Heres one of my old ones. It is screwed to a piece of wood under the aquarium center brace.

 

[PrettyHate]

I love it when they stack up on eachother like that