How to Build Platforms to Rise With Water Levels for Turtles

Turtle platforms come in many shapes and sizes. The form of your platform should be determined by the size of the body of water it is to float in, and the species of turtle living there. The larger the turtles, the larger the platform or dock needed to support them. Turtles will perch on floating logs, half submerged boards and rocks or anything they can climb onto. Their aim is to bask in the sunshine and dry out their shells -- even water turtles need to dry out sometimes -- as staying submerged makes the shells too soft. Whether you're building a platform in a backyard pond, or in an aquarium, the same principals for floatation will apply. For simplicity try building a 18-inch wide by 6-foot long basking platform suitable for pond use with large to moderately sized turtles.

Things You'll Need

  • Wood boards
  • Stringer boards
  • 10-inch bolts
  • Nuts to match the bolts
  • 6-inch deck screws
  • Hand saw
  • Drill with screw bits
  • 6-inch thick floatation bricks/buoyancy billets
  • Rope
  • Cement block
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Instructions

    • 1

      Space the stringers, cut to 18-inch lengths using the hand saw, equally apart on the ground.

    • 2

      Lay the wood boards side-by-side on top of the stringers, so that the stringers cross the width of all 3 longer boards. This will form the deck of the platform.

    • 3

      Screw the deck bolts into the stringers using 2 deck screws per board.

    • 4

      Flip the platform over and place the buoyancy billets between the first and second stringer, as close to the first stringer as they can be placed. This will allow the back end of the platform to be partially submerged when you put it in the water.

    • 5

      Screw the bolts through the buoyancy billets or bricks into the wood. Do not worry if they come out the other side.

    • 6

      Secure the bolts by screwing down the nuts.

    • 7

      Flip the deck back over, and using the drill, make a hole in the center platform board 4-inches in from the back edge.

    • 8

      Tie the rope to the platform through the hole, then tie the other end to a cement block. Leave enough rope, so the dock will be able to rise and fall with water levels.

    • 9

      Put the dock into the pond, throw the cement block into the water and enjoy watching the native turtles climb aboard on sunny days. One end of this dock will be under water, but that is okay as this will allow the turtles to climb aboard with ease.