How to make aquatic terrariums for red-bellied turtles with their own hands

If you decide to have a red-bellied turtle, then it will be possible for it to buy or manufacture the aquatorarium itself. Initially, it is necessary to determine the parameters of the future dwelling of the animal, only after you can think about what materials and tools you need to purchase.

Preparatory work

Aquatic terrariums for red-bellied turtles can be made using a variety of materials, namely: polyvinyl chloride, wood, etc. The structure can be made on the basis of the frame. In this case, everything depends on the size of the installation. Thus, if it is large, then it is preferable to build a frame, whereas for small terrariums, designs completely made of plexiglass or glass are perfect.

It is permissible to apply when aquatic terrariums for red-bellied turtles are made, and old furniture, the elements of which will be used to perform the components of the installation. When making such structures from glass, special adhesive compositions should be used. If you have an unknown glue in front of you, you should definitely read the instructions, this is due to the fact that the composition may be poisonous to the animal, which is especially important when installing water aquariums.

Features of the manufacture of frameless terrariums

Frameless structures based on Plexiglas should be mounted using organic solvents, among them chloroform or dichloroethane. In order to create a self-adhesive, you can add to these ingredients plexiglas for chip making.

Aquatic terrariums for red-bellied turtles can have a skeleton, if the construction is dimensional, it is preferable to use steel corners in the basis of the supporting component , as well as wooden bars. As a rule, ribs and screeds for such installations are not used. When choosing a glass, you need to purchase a material whose thickness is approximately equal to five millimeters.

Ventilation of the terrarium

Ventilation is one of the important elements of the aquaterrarium, it is necessary to place it in two zones, one of the elements must be mounted in the roof, while the other one should be mounted on the sides or under the door. The ventilation grid can be made from a rigid perforated sheet of aluminum, in which holes of 3 mm in diameter are made. When manufacturing the upper ventilation, it must be taken into account that its size should be about 1/3 of the total width of the structure. As for the dimensions of the lower ventilation, the net width should be about 25-50 millimeters. This will depend on the dimensions of the terrarium, it is necessary to perform lower ventilation in the form of a peculiar pocket.

Lighting Construction

Making water aquariums for red-bellied turtles, it is necessary to equip the structure with lighting, the lamp must be installed at a height of 25 cm from the animal, this indicates the need to make the installation taking into account its height within 40 cm or more. It is recommended to use this parameter, limited to 50 cm. This will be affected by the variety of lamps used.

Decorating the terrarium

Regardless of what material is used, it needs to be painted, which will protect the elements from moisture. If it is a question of a wooden design, the greatest efficiency at carrying out of protection against a moisture can be achieved by a method of coloring of a surface by hot linseed oil which is put in two layers. After the first layer is dried, you can proceed to applying the second one.

Carrying out water aquariums for red-turtled turtles with their own hands, at the next stage the construction should be left to dry completely, and then treated with furniture varnish. If you want to preserve the natural color and texture of the wood, oxide paints can be used to process the frame elements, which have bright and rich shades. If you have to work with a steel structure or one that is made of duralumin, then it should be painted from all sides. In this case, epoxy compounds will prove more effective.

Water turquoise for the red-bellied tortoise with their own hands, the photo of which is in the article, can be made and with very impressive dimensions, while walls, floor, and ceiling should be made using multilayer plywood. Processing it is necessary for the same technology that is used when working with wooden frame elements of construction. It is acceptable to cover the surface of the floor with a thin plastic, which is often replaced with linoleum. Such a coating will be reliable, and water will not leak through the cracks under the surface of the material. Thus, you will be able to create conditions favorable for metal or wood.

Recommendations of a specialist

Aquatic terrariums for red-bellied turtles, photos of which should be considered before work, can be made using sheet materials, which must be selected only according to a certain principle. They must be safe, in addition, some of them do not have a surface integrity, which is very important. Special importance should be given to the sealing of seams, as well as the treatment of surface finish compounds.

Features of the choice of materials

Water turquoise for a turtle, whose photo will allow the work to be done correctly, should be made of a material that is not capable of releasing poisonous substances, which will in particular be bad at elevated temperatures. It is necessary to strive to ensure that the construction of the technical equipment and the device is close to the climatic chamber, in which it will be possible to change the humidity, light, and temperature regimes, if necessary, which will not be affected by external conditions.

Fixing the door

Water turquoise for water turtles, as for any other, should have a door, it can be fastened by a certain technology. To ensure that the door is moved to the side, you can use the skids, borrowed from the bookshelf. Most often, when using this technique, two glasses are used.

Initially, it is necessary to prepare two strips of glass, the width of one should be 1/3 of the total height of the terrarium, while the width of the other should be equivalent to 15 cm. Select the glass for the door in such a way that its thickness is 4 millimeters. The length of the strips should be equal to the front of the terrarium. The first strip should be glued to the bottom, while the second one is strengthened upward. Glass holders can be installed in such a way that the glass can be taken out by itself. The door can be mounted on magnets, but this approach is considered not very reliable, since the animal in this case can independently open it.

Manufacturing of a removable partition

The structure can be equipped with a removable partition. For this it is permissible to use two strips of glass, which should be glued to the bottom with a sealant, the step between them should be equal to the width of the glass. The height should be made equal to four centimeters. Between them, you should install a thick glass, which must be pasted with a background. The partitioning is sometimes made using waterproof plywood, the elements in this case must be shaped like "T". It is possible to use plastic skids for glass in the manufacture of the partition, but their installation in this case should be done on the sides, not on the bottom. After you make a turtle aquatorarium for your own hands, you can run the animal inside.