lights around the room with fake ivy vines?

Question

and fake trees and plants what kind of lights and plants should i buy for out side the tanks and could i turn a closet that i dont use into a couple of tanks i know im jumping around alot but i really want to do this i want turttles to could i build like a small like sand box inside or would smell over come the house sorry so many ?s at a time

Answer 1

Okay, it sounds like you want to set up a room to house your turtles (or at least your spare closet). What you put outside the tanks doesn't really matter if the turtles can't get to them. If the tanks are only for swimming and the turtles can get out and roam freely, anything that looks like leave should either be edible (if alive) or out of their reach (adult water turtles will eat vegetation as they get older). A sand box isn't necessary, but a tub of dirt might encourage them to lay eggs. Knowing that they've laid, finding the eggs and hatching them is a different matter. For lighting, you should have both a heat lamp (for warmth) and a UVB lamp for vitamin D sysnthesis so they can keep their bones and shell in good condition. The UVB needs to be placed so they can get within 10" of the tube.

All this really depends on the type of turtle you want. Turtles are semi-aquatic, so they'll need water they can get in and out of to swim. Red-eared sliders are the most popular, and these can get 14" or so across their shell. If you want something that doesn't need as much water, look at tortoises - there are some types that only get around a foot, and only need a pan to soak in, rather than swim. Of course there are tortoises that get around 3 feet across thier shells as well, but you might not want to keep them inside unless you can give them an entire room (or basement).

Smell isn't a major problem for turtles as long as you do frequent water changes and clean the filter for the semi-aquatic types. For tortoises, you need to change the water in the pan every day and soak them twice a week (they use water as a place to go to the bathroom).

See the caresheets in this link for specific needs for any turtle or tortoise you might decide to get: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/

Answer 2

what exactly are you going to buy and what fish??? if your thinking about a water turtle (red ear slider) a sand box would not be the best thing to do.