Affordable Turtle Habitats: Budget-Friendly Setups for Sliders, Painted Turtles & More – Part 2

Turtle-keepers have a great many options when designing their pets’ homes…plastic bins, filtered aquariums, outdoor ponds, and many others all have their place.  In this article I’ll cover everything you’ll need to create an inexpensive habitat for most semi-aquatic and aquatic turtles, including Red-Eared Sliders, Painted and Map Turtles, Cooters, Reeve’s Turtles and others.  I’ll also mention money-saving alternatives to certain products, along with non-essential “extras” that can be added if you wish.  Please see Part 1 for information on enclosures, basking sites and shelters.

Ultra-violet “B” Light

Turtles that bask in the sun (heliothermic species) need a UVB source in captivity.  Most commonly-kept species, such as Sliders, Cooters, Painted and Map Turtles, fall into this category.  Musk, Snapping, Soft-shelled and other largely aquatic species seem to do fine without, but many keepers provide UVB as “insurance”.

Recommended

The Zoomed 10.0 UVB Bulb provides high levels of UVB if placed within 12 inches of the basking site.  For greater distances, go with a Mercury Vapor Bulb, which will provide both heat and UVB.

Low Cost Alternative

Unfiltered sunlight is the best possible UVB source for turtles (and it’s free!).  Window glass and plastic filters-out UVB, so you’ll need direct sun; 1-3 hours daily will suffice for most species; a UVB bulb should be used during the winter, especially for growing turtles.

Heat

Be sure to write in for recommendations as to proper water, air and basking temperatures, as each varies by species.

Recommended

The Exo-Terra Submersible Turtle Heater is designed to withstand the havoc that active turtles can unleash on “lesser” heaters.

Turtle Tough Halogen Bulbs provide UVA and heat for basking sites, and can stand up to the splashing that turtles are likely to produce.

Low Cost Alternatives

Enclosing tropical fish aquarium heaters in a sleeve of perforated PVC pipe will render them “turtle-proof”.

Filtration

Turtles delight in dismantling filters, and most are very good at it!  They are also hard on water quality, so please review all the following options.

Recommended

A wide variety of filters designed for use with turtles are now available.  The Zoo Med Canister is my favorite for most situations (please see article below).

Low Cost Alternatives

Housing your turtle in a plastic bin that is easily emptied and rinsed is a great option (please see “Enclosures” in Part 1 of this article).

Siphon-based Gravel Washers are very useful for making partial water changes, especially right after feeding.

You can also cut costs by not feeding your turtle in its aquarium (please see article below).  In this way, you can use a smaller filter, or perhaps dispense with filtration altogether.

Non-Essential Items

Ultra-violet “A” (UVA) radiation, while perhaps not essential, encourages natural behavior.  The Reptisun 2.0 Bulb and Turtle Tough Halogen Bulbs provide UVA.

A Night-Viewing Bulb will help you to observe your pet’s nocturnal activities and is useful for cold nights.

If your aquarium is large enough, consider adding artificial stumps, roots and hollow logs.  The Pure Aquatic Line is very impressive.

There are infinite variations on the above theme…please write in with your own habitat ideas and questions.