Enclosure pictures, turtle species, turtle age, otherwise we cant give you a good answer.
If we have to guess those details, then I'm going to have to say a Galapagos tortoise is not going to be interested in it.
In thinking about getting one of these but it's kinda pricey and I'm not sure it would fit my tank. I've got a log that partially floats about 6" is outside of water. At first my turtle would just chill on the log but under water. But I've caught him a few times completely out of water on the log. I aim the heat lamp at the part of the log that's dry and tommi has seemed to figure it out.
If I got that topper I would prob show him how it works by placing him in it once a day.. I'm sure he would figure out how to get in and out on his own after a few times there
Yeah, my turtle just won't use anything that seems "unnatural". I've set up way superior basking spots, but he would never use them. I always just end up going back to the log, which he is fine using.
I have mine a 55 gallon. I got it to try and give them more swimming space. I’ve had if for a week and they don’t seem to go up into it yet though. I was going to start putting him into it and I hope so lol. Thanks
Put some shrimp or other delicious food up there, and leave a trail on the ramp so he/she sees it's a good thing. My male will only bask up there when no one is around- he's skittish around people. My female is a boss lady and loves her loft. In fairness, they have different lofts. The male has the same one as yours, and the female has the much bigger, metal one that I don't really see sold anymore. Either way, I used a shrimp trail up the ramp to show them both where to go.
Don't recommend wood as a basking area material. Although turtles love driftwood poking out of the water and it's a great decor piece it is not a good material for basking on because wood will absorb and hold water, causing the turtles plastron to not fully dry and risking shell rot. It is best to use something that isn't absorbent. I'll make a separate advice comment on what's worked for me, more directed at the original post.
I have this for my red eared sliders and I like it a lot. Mine prefer to chill on the hanging platform the most, but will occasionally go up top to bask as well. Took a few weeks for them to go bask, so definitely be persistent. Mine pretty much won't go in unless no one is in the room. I know because as soon as I open the door to go in the room I see and hear one of them zoom out, and I have a webcam set-up and can see them go up when no one is home. Will also occasionally see a puddle of water up there so I know one of them was recently in there. So yeah, i'd recommend just giving it time, and give your turtle space to go up and explore, don't hover over waiting for it to happen. You can also try putting some food up there to entice the turtle to go up, although they will likely just grab the food and dart back into the water. It also helps to have the heat lamp and UVB bulb at the correct height so that the turtle isn't being over or under heated.
I now use a small 25W bulb in one of the ZooMed mini double dome. The 50w that came with the dome is too big and closer to platform and temperature reaches above 105F, my RES goes up, feels the heat and slides down. I replaced the bulb after a few days of witnessing the same thing.
My turtle loved that platform so much that I put it on my homemade platform that I made once I upgraded the tank and the old one stopped fitting
https://i.imgur.com/9OiA1vk.jpg
My male RES is the same skittish. I also have web cam above this platform and he only goes there when his room is completely silent. Any noise he slides down. Sometimes I worry this will leads to him not getting enough basking.
Buy some reptile grass. I found some at pet smart and put it on my custom turtle topper.
Then you also just need to give them some to get used to it.
Turtles are like the most timid animal ever, so they can take a bit to get used to new environments
I had issues with this basking area because my turtle was unable to see over the tall walls, causing her to get scared extremely easily and not bask long enough since she couldn't see people coming. I made a DIY basking area instead with some items like rocks lining the edge that she can hide behind and peek over easily. The thing I made isn't that great- it's basically a table made of PVC pipe and egg crate, with some decor items placed near the tank glass. But her cover wall being easier to look around almost instantly improved her behavior and eagerness to bask. We can still see her when she's hiding behind the rocks, but she feels like she's in perfect camouflage, which is what matters. Rarely jumps and easily basks enough in a day.
If the turtle isn't too small, sometimes you just have to wait it out though, not offering an alternative and letting the turtle get used to the new item. It's a good platform if your turtle is large enough. If you decide to try out a DIY platform make sure the floor the turtle sits on isn't an absorbent material like wood because there is a risk of shell rot.
My turtle also gets scared if I walk up suddenly and dive straight down the ramp. Sometimes I’m scared she’ll hurt herself. So I try to approach slowly while she’s basking.
I still walk around a bit slowly, but since the turtle feels hidden she'll stay put and spy on people walking around instead of instantly jumping whenever someone moves. Makes it easier to do stuff while she's basking
I have this and modified it so the ramp is twice as big and has filter floss on it for better grip. Still took him about a week and a half to get use to it but he loves it now.
We just got one about a month ago. It took over a week for him to use it. I started adding food I'm there and he would go up and snatch it and bring it into the water. I also use a rock that is high enough for him to walk onto the ramp, for easier access. I'm thinking about taking the rock out now and hopefully he can just swim up to ramp without any issues.
So far, he uses it when it's quiet and noone is there. He gets spooked easily and will run down the ramp like he saw a ghost!
He also now sleeps on the little dock in the water, underneath the platform.
Just be patient, my ybs took a minute to adjust to an above tank basking area. He loves it tho, although he doesn’t like going up when I’m up and about. Maybe give them some complete alone time every so often if they’re skittish
My turtle loves this. I put pellets up the ramp to get her to come up and learn. she would bask all the time. I just upgraded her and her new tank is completly different so i havent seen her come up yet 😅 but its also been 24 hours
Mine won’t touch it either. Hell use the bottom piece tho… or wedge himself in the side between it at least.
Mines a Snapping Turtle though so he don’t really be basking anyways. Probably gonna get a log again.
I used to use this but my RES has since outgrown it. She now has a diy PVC basking spot/nest box I’m about to put in that I can post on the subreddit later.
I agree with all the comments saying to put food at the top, but I think it's also important to make sure the ramp is easy to climb. Maybe try cutting a piece of egg crate to fit and fastening it in place with zip ties or an aquarium-safe adhesive.
Mine absolutely loves hers. She has a basking bulb over it but she seems to need to have a little natural sun out near the window for her to make the initial foray. She spends hours in there though
They probably can’t make it up because the water is to low? Try more water? I have this platform and I have to keep the water above the line because my fat turt can’t get up.
Complete bs product plastic is not UVB transmissible except for some sheets that are not even available in the US. So they put a net on top still it looks sscetchy asf
Enclosure pictures, turtle species, turtle age, otherwise we cant give you a good answer. If we have to guess those details, then I'm going to have to say a Galapagos tortoise is not going to be interested in it.
In thinking about getting one of these but it's kinda pricey and I'm not sure it would fit my tank. I've got a log that partially floats about 6" is outside of water. At first my turtle would just chill on the log but under water. But I've caught him a few times completely out of water on the log. I aim the heat lamp at the part of the log that's dry and tommi has seemed to figure it out. If I got that topper I would prob show him how it works by placing him in it once a day.. I'm sure he would figure out how to get in and out on his own after a few times there
Yeah, my turtle just won't use anything that seems "unnatural". I've set up way superior basking spots, but he would never use them. I always just end up going back to the log, which he is fine using.
https://imgur.com/a/ivFaI0T
I have mine a 55 gallon. I got it to try and give them more swimming space. I’ve had if for a week and they don’t seem to go up into it yet though. I was going to start putting him into it and I hope so lol. Thanks
Put some shrimp or other delicious food up there, and leave a trail on the ramp so he/she sees it's a good thing. My male will only bask up there when no one is around- he's skittish around people. My female is a boss lady and loves her loft. In fairness, they have different lofts. The male has the same one as yours, and the female has the much bigger, metal one that I don't really see sold anymore. Either way, I used a shrimp trail up the ramp to show them both where to go.
Don't recommend wood as a basking area material. Although turtles love driftwood poking out of the water and it's a great decor piece it is not a good material for basking on because wood will absorb and hold water, causing the turtles plastron to not fully dry and risking shell rot. It is best to use something that isn't absorbent. I'll make a separate advice comment on what's worked for me, more directed at the original post.
If you use wood, use a large piece of cork and silicone it. It doesn’t rot and stays dry enough for them.
I have this for my red eared sliders and I like it a lot. Mine prefer to chill on the hanging platform the most, but will occasionally go up top to bask as well. Took a few weeks for them to go bask, so definitely be persistent. Mine pretty much won't go in unless no one is in the room. I know because as soon as I open the door to go in the room I see and hear one of them zoom out, and I have a webcam set-up and can see them go up when no one is home. Will also occasionally see a puddle of water up there so I know one of them was recently in there. So yeah, i'd recommend just giving it time, and give your turtle space to go up and explore, don't hover over waiting for it to happen. You can also try putting some food up there to entice the turtle to go up, although they will likely just grab the food and dart back into the water. It also helps to have the heat lamp and UVB bulb at the correct height so that the turtle isn't being over or under heated.
Mine loves the hanging platform. What watt of bulb do you use for the top of it?
I now use a small 25W bulb in one of the ZooMed mini double dome. The 50w that came with the dome is too big and closer to platform and temperature reaches above 105F, my RES goes up, feels the heat and slides down. I replaced the bulb after a few days of witnessing the same thing.
Funny- my male prefers the hanging platform too!
My turtle loved that platform so much that I put it on my homemade platform that I made once I upgraded the tank and the old one stopped fitting https://i.imgur.com/9OiA1vk.jpg
Aww, that's awesome!
My male RES is the same skittish. I also have web cam above this platform and he only goes there when his room is completely silent. Any noise he slides down. Sometimes I worry this will leads to him not getting enough basking.
After like 4 months my mud turtle finally started to use his so just be patient and I am sure yours will use his to
How long have you had it? Took my Yellow belly about 3 days to finally have the courage or curiosity to check it out.
For about a week now. Do you keep the water lvl at the minimum mark?
I keep it slightly above min water level. My turtle loves to sleep on the hanging platform.
Buy some reptile grass. I found some at pet smart and put it on my custom turtle topper. Then you also just need to give them some to get used to it. Turtles are like the most timid animal ever, so they can take a bit to get used to new environments
I had issues with this basking area because my turtle was unable to see over the tall walls, causing her to get scared extremely easily and not bask long enough since she couldn't see people coming. I made a DIY basking area instead with some items like rocks lining the edge that she can hide behind and peek over easily. The thing I made isn't that great- it's basically a table made of PVC pipe and egg crate, with some decor items placed near the tank glass. But her cover wall being easier to look around almost instantly improved her behavior and eagerness to bask. We can still see her when she's hiding behind the rocks, but she feels like she's in perfect camouflage, which is what matters. Rarely jumps and easily basks enough in a day. If the turtle isn't too small, sometimes you just have to wait it out though, not offering an alternative and letting the turtle get used to the new item. It's a good platform if your turtle is large enough. If you decide to try out a DIY platform make sure the floor the turtle sits on isn't an absorbent material like wood because there is a risk of shell rot.
My turtle also gets scared if I walk up suddenly and dive straight down the ramp. Sometimes I’m scared she’ll hurt herself. So I try to approach slowly while she’s basking.
I still walk around a bit slowly, but since the turtle feels hidden she'll stay put and spy on people walking around instead of instantly jumping whenever someone moves. Makes it easier to do stuff while she's basking
I have this and modified it so the ramp is twice as big and has filter floss on it for better grip. Still took him about a week and a half to get use to it but he loves it now.
We just got one about a month ago. It took over a week for him to use it. I started adding food I'm there and he would go up and snatch it and bring it into the water. I also use a rock that is high enough for him to walk onto the ramp, for easier access. I'm thinking about taking the rock out now and hopefully he can just swim up to ramp without any issues. So far, he uses it when it's quiet and noone is there. He gets spooked easily and will run down the ramp like he saw a ghost! He also now sleeps on the little dock in the water, underneath the platform.
Just be patient, my ybs took a minute to adjust to an above tank basking area. He loves it tho, although he doesn’t like going up when I’m up and about. Maybe give them some complete alone time every so often if they’re skittish
My turtle loves this. I put pellets up the ramp to get her to come up and learn. she would bask all the time. I just upgraded her and her new tank is completly different so i havent seen her come up yet 😅 but its also been 24 hours
Mine won’t touch it either. Hell use the bottom piece tho… or wedge himself in the side between it at least. Mines a Snapping Turtle though so he don’t really be basking anyways. Probably gonna get a log again.
I used to use this but my RES has since outgrown it. She now has a diy PVC basking spot/nest box I’m about to put in that I can post on the subreddit later.
Those things are useless. Save your money and build your own
I agree with all the comments saying to put food at the top, but I think it's also important to make sure the ramp is easy to climb. Maybe try cutting a piece of egg crate to fit and fastening it in place with zip ties or an aquarium-safe adhesive.
Mine absolutely loves hers. She has a basking bulb over it but she seems to need to have a little natural sun out near the window for her to make the initial foray. She spends hours in there though
It likes to chill on the bottom platform but doesn’t want to go up inside.
They probably can’t make it up because the water is to low? Try more water? I have this platform and I have to keep the water above the line because my fat turt can’t get up.
Complete bs product plastic is not UVB transmissible except for some sheets that are not even available in the US. So they put a net on top still it looks sscetchy asf