Habitat - Outdoor :: Balcony setup advice

[tissigirl]

I purchased a pop up pond for Mr. Turtle, and it's finally warm enough here to set it up and start using it. I need help with a few things though to make sure everything is set up so that he gets the most benefit.

The way my balcony sits it gets direct sun in the mornings, and it moves from one side of it to the other. So basically only one side of it gets full sun the entire time. After that the sun is on the other side of my building. So would a turtle benefit being outside even if there isn't direct sunlight?

I'm planning on putting a tall rock in the middle for basking and possibly placing a towel or something over one side of the pond so there is an area out of the sun when it is full sunlight time. Then probably putting chicken wire or something over the top so that I don't have to be out there 24/7. Does this sound ok?

[steve]

So would a turtle benefit being outside even if there isn't direct sunlight?

I'm inclined to say yes (some UVB rays are reflected and bounced around before being absorbed), though I do not know how beneficial it would be.

Is this a permanent setup or a temporary one? If its for them to get some natural UVB, then an hour or 2 a day would be great.

[tissigirl]

Just a temporary setup. It's a pop up pond so that I can take it down and store it easily. Since I live in a second floor apartment my options are limited.

[steve]

Then getting something like chickwire or hardware cloth to secure the top would be a good idea.

How sturdy is it? I haven't had the chance to see one in person.

[tissigirl]

I was planning on getting something like chickenwire to cover the top.

It's not extremely study. It's similar to the kiddie pools with the collapsable sides instead of the hard plastic all around. When I get it set up i'll make sure to take some pics to share.