Habitat - Outdoor :: Basking area/landing

[bcjchapman]

Does anyone have any ideas for me to give our RES a good basking area/ramp/landing for her to bask on? We have a 130 Gal. outdoor habitat for her, and I'd really like to figure something out better for her. The problem is, most of the things I've looked for on the web (this site) are tool small or for aquariums. In addition, she has a very good weight on her, and is pretty large and heavy to get up most things. I just don't know what to provide for her. The pond isn't very big, and i don't have much room to work with. the Pond has 4 ledges, which she can get up on, only if its full completely w/ water to swim up on, but she still can't bask completely out of water which is what I'm trying to do for her. I need some kind of ramp up to an area completely out of the water IN THE MIDDLE of the pond so she doesn't get out. Rock's don't do well, because its a nightmare when I need to clean the pond. I've tried stacker blocks which actually helps keep her nails trimmed, but that doesn't really work either. HELP! Here is a couple pics of the pond and her.

[megcornell]

You could try building something out of tile and PVC. I say tile because it's heavy and it will warm up nicely in the sun. And from what I understand PVC is pretty easy to work with so you could build a simple "cube" of PVC, weight it down and have a basking area w/ a ramp on top. Take a look around the photo section of the site for what other people have done.

[marisa]

Nice-looking RES. Does she like the spray of the fountain (my RES wouldn't)? How many gallons is the pond?

You could try corkbark, but you'd have to anchor it near the center or far enough away from the edge so that it couldn't float near the edge and allow her to escape.

You also might want to reconsider have such small pebbles, relative to her size, in there. They can be a temptation to eat...

[bcjchapman]

Thanks so much for the tip. If anyone else has any idea's, let me know.

Should I make the ramp out of tile as well. And you mean sort of like
from home depot? I will continue to browse around.

Marisa - thanks! She doesn't appear to have any problem with the fountain. She has always had it, and it doesn't seem to bother her. I never really
thought of that though. I can change the top so it does different things, but it
has to run, as it doubles as the filter inside. I have since removed the rocks in the pond, but correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that rocks actually are good for her to eat, they are great for her digestive system.

[megcornell]

Actually, that's the problem with small rocks- curious RES eat them. Unfortunately the rocks don't always pass though and impaction can kill a RES or at the very least give you a very expensive vet bill.
There has been some evidence in nature that turtles eat some rocks to help with mechanical digestion, but I think in captivity things get all screwed up and "bored" turtles eat too many making rocks a risk not a benefit.
You can always add large river rocks that your turtle can scavenge around and move but that don't pose an eating risk.

Back to the basking area, making a ramp is one area I'm not very experienced. A lot of people use easy to work with materials like light diffuser or plexiglass. The only issue with plexiglass is then you have to add a grip or tread to it.

[queenjane]

Whoa! That's a super pond. And your turtle is a BEAUTY. Totally gorgeous.

[trudykurz]

Very pretty outdoor setup