Water Turtle Help, Thank You!

Question

Hi, well I have this water turtle my uncle gave me for my b-day to years ago and I bought a filter everything for him but now he is getting to big for it. I allready bought him a new clear bucket here are the measurements.

height : 34 centimeters

length : 70 centimeters

width : 48 centimeters

now my problem is I'm aware that he has to be able to completely get out of the water for time to time but I have no idea how to built a rock stair maybe in a corner for him to get on out of the water so please help me with how I have to put the rocks for him to get out of the water without having to struggle to much.

he's about 15 cm long and 10 cm wide.

Thanks for the help!!

Answer 1

you sound like my friend from Pune India ..he had his in a bucket and now a mud bowl..he just stacked rocks.

I use to have a small kiddy pool and used cement bricks..

I had a 12x12x1" flat cement slab and used 2 8x4x4 underneath. that way they could bask on top and get uner the bricks for saftey and night time..

http://flickr.com/photos/29035692@N03/27...

you can't return a turtle back to the wild after captivity..not cool.

Answer 2

there is a product made by zoo med (i think) called a turtle dock comes in 3 different sizes u attach it to the size of the tank with suckers and its floats on the surface. u dont see them around much in the uk but there everywhere in the US i got mine off ebay  

Answer 3

i would let him go

Answer 4

BUILDING A POND

Select an outside area which gets both sun and shade throughout the day. The shape and design of the pond is optional. The depth can range from six inches in the shallow part to 24 inches in the deep end, where you may want to place a drain and filter. The deeper the pond, longer the water will retain heat during the cool winter months.

Draw the shape of the pond in the dirt prior to excavation. Then remove the soil. It is best to taper the sides of the pond to allow easy access for the turtles. In the deep end of the pond place a drain that extends into a lower section of your yard. PVC pipe, two inches in diameter, works very well and is easily available at hardware stores. On the other end of the drain place a threaded cap. This will allow you to drain the pond easily when cleaning is needed. Next, lay wire mesh in the bottom of the excavated area. This will provide strength to the concrete. You can buy ready-mix concrete or mix your own with cement and sand. Pour the cement in sections over the wire to conform to your pond design. Fill around and below the drain. The concrete should be between 5 and 6 inches thick depending upon the size of the pond. Once the cement is poured, seal it with a mixture of pure cement and water. This will make the pond surface smooth and reduce abrasions on the shell surface of your turtles. After the cement has hardened, fill the pond with water to draw out the excess lime.

The enclosure is important in order to keep your turtles safe from predators and to provide an area from which they cannot escape. A smooth material, such as Alsynite or aluminum siding, works well because the turtles cannot climb over. Alsynite comes in a variety of attractive colors. Materials such as wire, wood or rock are attractive, but not always escape proof.

The fence materials can be cut in sections or purchased in rolls. If you have large adult turtles, a fence height from 12 to 16 inches above the ground is recommended. The fence material can be bolted to 24-inch wooden stakes driven in to the soil on the outside of the fence every one or two feet. Inside the enclosure provide sand and dirt for nesting areas for adult gravid female turtles. Logs and ornamental rocks can be added for basking areas

POND FILTERS

The cleaner you keep the pond, the healthier your turtles will be. It is easy to build your own filter. It can be placed in the deep end of the pond to filter and circulate the pool water.

Materials: The following items are needed — wire mesh; rocks; filter floss material for sale at any pet store; a submersible pump, available at pet stores and nurseries (they vary in size from 170 to 430 gallons per hour); and a plastic or metal container of any shape. Its size depends on the size of the pond and the number of turtles you have in it. The larger the pond size, or number of turtles, the larger the container must be to perform efficiently. Some filters 24 inches by 30 inches perform very well in a pond that is 30 feet long by 5 feet wide, with the deep end being 24 inches. The same filter has been known to work well in 200 to 600 gallon ponds.

Note: UV light in the filter line helps kill harmful bacteria.

Assembly: Place the container in a flat area in the deep end of the pond with the top above the water line. Place rocks in the bottom of the container to weigh it down. Place the pump in the bottom of the container. Drill an opening for the outlet of the pump in the bottom of the container. Form the wire mesh over the rocks and pump inside the container. Fill the area between the wire mesh and the container with filter floss material. Next place filter floss over the entire wire mesh to form the filter area. Place a second layer of wire mesh over the floss in order to compact the filter. Place a heavy object, such as a rock, on top of the wire mesh to hold it in place.

Some koi pond filters work quite well also.



Near the top of the container, at the water line, cut an opening to allow the intake of water from the pond into the filter. With pump running, the pond can be filtered & water circulated simultaneously. The filter material can be washed out when necessary with a garden hose. This material lasts well and can be used time and time again.

For easy accessibility, it may be possible to run an electrical conduit from your house to an electrical box inside the turtle enclosure. This is extremely handy for servicing circulating pumps, electric lights and heaters.

About ½ of the enclosure should be water and about ½ dry land, to encourage basking. Aquarium designs can be fancy with large landscaped swimming areas and water filters similar to a fish tank. A simpler method uses a large plastic or steel water container that covers ½ of the cage bottom. Then fill the dry land portion of the cage with rock or other material up to the rim of the water container. If a piece of wood or plexiglass is used to hold the bedding in place, then the water container can be easily lifted out and the water changed without disrupting the dry ½ of the tank. Without a filter system the water should be changed daily to keep it clean.

Be sure the turtle can easily climb out of the water onto the dry basking areas. Basking allows the turtle to dry its shell between baths, to warm its body, and to absorb UV light. Artificial turf makes good flooring for the dry area as it can be cleaned and reused, and it can’t be eaten. Sand, small gravel, corn cob, wood chips, etc may be eaten and cause bowel blockages; if used they must be changed regularly when soiled.