I'm having the same issue. My buddy is getting to big. Im gonna have to make a bigger one and push it out a few feet from the tank and build some legs to support it.
I placed kitchen tile on it. Our turtle hates the way egg crate feels on his feet, but he loves kitchen flooring. We tried a similar design in the past and I saw him clawing at the egg crate in anger.
i'm getting my first turtle ever and you're one of the most helpers ever you're just helping me on what I need for it and mistakes so I don't make mistakes
I've seen a few DIY basking-area vids since becoming a turtle mom. They have all been helpful but this one is the most organized and informative. Peep and Turbo say, "Thank you!" (Again :) )
i didn't realize it would be this easy and cheap to get the tools and make a safe turtle platform! i will be placing mine pretty high up, almost like a topper, but i will be using more egg crate on three sides as a fencing barrier, with aquarium safe glue! thank you for making this!
I have been looking and looking for a good turtle dock for a long time and never found anything right. Your video inspired me. I watched it, built it exactly as you described, and now my turtle is very happy. What a perfect custom dock. Thank you!!!
Recently a friend had a turtle that she was just supposed to watch (but it got abandoned. the owner didn’t come back). I took him in! I mostly had experience with snakes and bugs. this poor guy never even had a light for 3 years! and he was way too nervous to get on ANY rock. but this worked PERFECTLY. Thank you so much :)
Thanks for the awesome info!! I followed your easy to understand directions and went right to the hardware store, got my supplies and went to work. Now my turtles have a basking area that can actually accommodate them which I found impossible to find at any pet store!! Two thumbs up!! 👍🏽👍🏽
Im a new turtle mom (I adopted her from my sister because she couldn't take care of her.) And the basking platform is not great quality so I figured I would make one this tutorial is perfect!!! Thanks 😊
This video was so helpful! I moved my turtles into stock tanks and it's freakin impossible to find platforms. Now I don't need to scrub pillars of rocks every few days. Very easy DIY.
this is just wonderful we have been searching for a good dock for our red ear slider and this is easy to make and big enough for her thanks for sharing
I built a basking platform for my growing red-eared turtle. (Pepper) Using you suggestions I can now have the type of lighting that can fit the tank. The old basking platform was too large to accommodate lighting. Thank you as always, you are the best!
I gots big turts... so I'll probably full my legs with sand, also get a couple T's that I'll make the ramp with. Planing on using screws to keep the ramp strong and adjustable
I Recently made a similar one, but it wasn't a basking platform, it was a bedding area so the top part has all plants for him to sleep on, instead of egg crate. It sat 2 inches below the water, so he can poke his head up easily for air whenever needed :) good tutorial.
Diagonal cutters are probably the best choice for cutting the eggcrate (and zip ties). Worth getting since they have lots of uses in projects and some are pretty cheap.
You are the best. Got my first turtle on labor weekend of 2019. You, turtle girl... just help me so much a long the way. So much great info. Great video as always. Thanks
Hey honey ❤ I enjoyed this can't wait to see your setup! I use pliers to cut egg crate but honestly in the end you get the same results as far as sharp edges. Your method looks much faster!! 👍👍👍
I have two turtles also.and I was using a plastic storage crate for my Koi fish for them to hide like a cave.it did works they love,at first they were kind of scared.also of my Turtles i am using a wide blocks cement block for them to hide and on top of it a small crate for them to bask it did works also
OMG just found your channel but wish I had a long time ago. You have some amazing content here and I especially enjoy the fun ''DIY'' parts! Subscribed, and going to watch your older videos in my free time. Keep up the great work! :)
@@TheTurtleGirl how do I get my turtles to bask? I bought an over the top basking platform and my turtle do no go in there. I threw away the first platform I had.
@@TheTurtleGirl I just got my turtle yesterday and I just bought a 60 dollar basking area and it does not even fit my turtle. I wish I saw this video before but the damage has been done
Also instead of using light diffuser as the platform, you can use a piece of tile or slate. Just make sure it's well secured and wont fall, it holds heat better and looks better especially if you paint the tubes (with aquarium safe paint)
@@filmgirlLisa My suggestion was just to swap the plastic light diffuser with a piece of tile. Everything else is the same, just make sure you attach the tiles well and they don't move or wiggle. You can do that with cable ties at the corners, there are many ways to attach them but I don't suggest doing it unless it's %100 secure, if it falls it can injure your turtles.
@@filmgirlLisa That was a while ago I've changed things since. It's just a regular ceramic floor tile, I didn't drill mine I just secured it with cable ties at the corners, the tile should be a little bit bigger than the indent below it so there's no chance it can fall through. For holes I recommend using diamond coated drill bits, they are made for glass and marble and such, you can easily find them at most hardware stores. Depending on where you get the tile, some places can cut it for you, if not you'll need to adapt your design to fit a standard size. Good luck! One more thing, you never want your tile suspended, you always want something supporting it from below
Nice! I've also seen ppl use the same egg crate thing with suction cups that have hooks on them. Yours is def sturdier but I haven't seen any problems with the suction cups. I'll pro just go with whatever's cheaper but really like yours. Thanks!!
Glad I found you. I was given an adult red ear slider just last night. Because it was an emergency situation, I had no chance to prepare or research. All I have to put him in is a 17 gallon long tank with no accessories other than a filter. At least it's better than the bucket that was only about 4 inches wider than him that he has been living in for the past week. But I want him to be happy, not just surviving. I am also low income so I can't afford fancy accessories. I will save this video for when I can buy the supplies to make this. I also need help. I know he needs a bigger tank. Other than that, what else does he need? What is top priority? Any other advice would be awesome
I have a very large female turtle. Like 10+ inches that I want to make one of these for. My only concern is will the ramp hold her weight? Or the egg crate in general for that matter?
Great video! I hadn't seen you online for a while and then this one came up. I made a platform with a cover for a tank my "King Tuttle the Turtle" was in (large male RES.) Now I have him in a 110-gallon kiddie pool and made a platform out of stones - he doesn't like it, so I have been thinking of making him a new platform. I actually hadn't thought through how to make it free-standing, so your video helped a lot! Tut is quite mischievous though, so I will have to figure out how to keep him from moving it to the side of his "Turtle Cove" ... but I think I can do it by adding the elbows at the base of the legs and making the base hit the sides of the kiddie pool. Will let you know how it goes.
Is there anyway I could make it so that it doesn’t have the legs and have it suction cupped I’m just scared he’ll get stuck in between the glass and egg crate
I built one of these for my YBS because she was simply too big for any other basking solution I've seen. My problem is that the ramp won't stay up, and she doesn't seem to be able to figure out how to get up on the platform. Any suggestions?
Not sure if you’ll reply BUT do you know if the turtle being on top of the egg crate for some time hurts them? I ask because to my touch putting my hand on it for like 10 seconds starts to hurt so I wonder if it hurts their shell or something ?
Hello! For a video suggestion, can you please talk about Musk turtles, because he never ever basks. I’ve watched your video about basking and how musk turtles rarely bask, but mine never does. Thank youuu
Totally made a version of this last night! Thank you so much! One question, my turtle keeps trying to eat the zip ties? Any chance he will be able to break them?
I just got my daughter a baby red ear slider. I'm trying to watch all your videos so I cansetup up the perfect tank. He is in a plastic tub fora day or two. Will he be fine?
Enjoying the channel and your videos are often helpful! Do you have an opinion on musk or muds? Kind of random but if you got a new turtle what kind would it be?
Hi! If I have a baby turtle and want to use an above tank basking area, how should I do it? Since baby turtles need the water depth to be six inches, will the ramp up reach the water, or should I buy a six inch tank?
Hmmm, maybe I would try making a false bottom on the tank, so you'd still have the full amount of water, but not have it as deep....it would have to have spaces...but not too big that the turtle might get a foot or something stuck...or you could just make the ramp really long...
Do you think a 2-3 inch turtles feet would get stuck in the holes in the crate material?? For the moment, my turtle is tiny still so we're slowly building up to a full tank, but it's about 3/4 full as of now and his in-tank basking area will not work when I add the next few gallons!
I just got from a friend a red ear turtle about 8 inches and I have a water tank 50-60 gal I don't know anything about filter setups, please help whit info about what kind of filter to use for it
we're like one of those reading lights work because that's the only basking thing I have and I'm really scared of my turtle doesn't have enough light to bask but I do have one of those book reading likes it's about bright like not that bright but I just wanted to let you know that I need help and is a red stripe turtle a good pet for 8 year old cuz I'm 8 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😫😫😫😫😫😫
