Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i am trying to make a new home for my 2 yellowbacks right now they are in a 20 gallon tank but i reciently purched a 4 foot childrens pool which i am going to turn into a new envoriment for then i was wondering what i should use for bedding i got some comtainers to hols water that are quite large and a smaller seperate one for feeding i heard that esu jungle mix ws good but i also thought of useing just top soil any tips or ideas and i am also looking for plants to add i know when it is done it will be cool and they will have a lot of room to move anround on land or water if they choose.

What is a yellowback? Is it aquatic, box turtle, Asian...?
Do you know the scientific name?

Katrina

Sand is a great bedding for outdoor enclosures. For best results I would suggest putting the sand in an old pillow case and rinse the sand to get rid of all of the dust. If this is not done, the water will be very cloudy. I have used dirt before and the dust must be removed from that as well. Both work fine as a substrate but I prefer sand because it is cleaner and more appealing. I have also used aquarium gravel which works well too, use the larger rocks nbecause turtles can accidently swallow the smaller ones when eating.

As for plants, duckweed is a great way to go. It will provide shade and food for the turtles. It can be found at all nurseries that have a pond section. You wont need a lot because this stuff spreads really fast. Another good plant is the hibiscus (i think that is spelled right). It can be found at local nurseries as well. Again not too many will be needed because it spreads really fast, I would suggest buying 1-2 at the most.
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Mike
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2 Painted
1 Musk
1 Common Snapper
1 Cooter
1 Map
1 RES
1 Corn Snake
1.1 Water Dragons
2 African Frogs
1 Toad
1.0 Degu
1.2 Chihuahuas
0.1 Cat