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New basking area pics...no drooling!!

Engloid Oct 19, 2003 04:19 PM

Well, I bought one of those suction-cupped plastic ones, and slowly, my turtles got to where their weight would pull them off the wall. I then hung it with coat hangers, and that proved to be difficult. I also put gutter guarding across the top and hanging down off it and this did really make it easier for them to climb up on.

Anyway...I have progressed to a setup that will do them the rest of their lives...although I may need another one when they get bigger, this one is more than strong enough to hold all 3 up.

In this first pic you can see my RES and 2 Ouichita Maps. Also, you can see the failing basking area with gutter guard on it. This basking area is up for sale to the highest bidder, btw.

Below is Sassy, my RES being mounted by one of the maps. He thinks he knows what he's doing but is just going through the motions. The RES is not in the least interested, and is more annoyed than anything. She's not old enough to care yet.

Again, here's Sassy thinking she can still fit through that decortive piece. It used to be fun for her to go through but maybe I should remove it to keep her from feeling she's fat

And here, you see my new basking area. It's 1/8" perforated stainless steel. It's just a piece of scrap I found at work. I guess I have a total of about an hour's work in it. Being a welder does have it's perks.

It won't rust, is plenty strong enough, provides any amount of grip they need, and works well with fluctuations in water level.

Replies (3)

elise Oct 19, 2003 08:28 PM

Nice basking area- I tried that exact same thing. Just be careful- the RES's can climb that stuff. I know because one of mine had an over night adventure around my house after it climbed out and pulled an Evil Knievil. I saw that you had some kind of guard at the top- it looked like it would do the trick of keeping them from climbing out- just make sure! I don't mean to sound derogatory- it really does look great and efficient!

Engloid Oct 19, 2003 09:00 PM

No problem. It is my clamp on light that's above it. I figured if I moved it elsewhere, I'd use plain sheet metal for the vertical part, instead of the perforated kind.

So far, they've not attempted to climb it, but I'm sure they will eventually.

Fusiongt Oct 20, 2003 01:45 AM

That's a really creative way to making the perfect fitting basking spot for your tank, good work! Have you thought of maybe puting really smooth low wide rocks on the metal basking area? I think that might be more comfortable then the metal since its more natural but just a suggestion, nice job

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