In- Ground Soaking Dish?

T33's Torts

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Thats so cool! I have to find somewhere to start digging.


Cowboy_Ken said:
Here in Oregon, this time of year, I dig a hole, and it starts filling on its own from seepage.

Well, I actually tried that a while back... Ended up staring a dry, empty hole. :dodgy::p
 

Tom

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That is a first rate example of how it should be done Bruce. Thank you so much for all the detail and explanation too. Your post has inspired me.

Funny. I started with sulcatas about 20 years ago too, and I noticed the same thing you did when I introduced more water and appropriate water sources into their environment, and I felt the same sense of guilt that you did. We just didn't know better man. Making the above post and inspiring so man other sulcata owners to make a pond for their own animals should free you of some of that guilt.

I have a couple of questions: How deep is it at the deepest point and approximately how many bags of concrete will I need?
 

Dizisdalife

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I am certainly inspired. My sulcata is still small enough that I can hoist him into a kiddie pool, for now. With a few of the details that Tom has asked for it can become my next project. Thanks Bruce for posting this.
 

DeanS

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That's even better than I pictured. Awaiting the details! AWESOME! I just got back from Tom's and we were just talking about this very thing!:D
 

Elohi

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Following.


Elohi(Earth)[TURTLE]
 

OCTortoiseGuy

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Tom said:
I have a couple of questions: How deep is it at the deepest point and approximately how many bags of concrete will I need?

Thank you all for the complements. Its nice to have someone other then myself and flower to appreciate the pond.

Tom, I am glad that Flowers pond has inspired you. I love it when I get that inspiration to improve something and you have inspired me on a few improvements with all your posts so thank you.

OK to the questions, The pond is only 5 inches deep in about a 3.5'x3.5' area space and the last 1/2 foot slopes up all around. My original plan was to have it be about 8 inches deep but with the slumping of the cement and the thickness of the bottom its final state is 5 inches deep.

Total number of bags of cement well, my math was a little fuzzy on how much cement I would need in the planning stage. I originally thought that 6 bags would be enough so I bought 8. After mixing the 8th bag and pouring it into the dug out form I realized I was about 6 bags short. So in the middle of the project I had to leave for Home Depot and buy another 7 bags to finish the project for a total of 15 bags. I am not a mason in any way and probably made it to thick but I was worried about it cracking or breaking off if someone walked on the edge or when it was empty. I made a diagram of how I made it hope it helps.
Untitled-1.jpg
POND.jpg

I also found some pictures last night of what I call my first mini pond I made for the CDT's. It's only about 16"x16" and was formed inside of a cardboard box and place in the ground. It's only about 3" deep and only took about 3/4 of a bag to make.
1-IMGP1150.jpg1-IMGP1151.jpg1-IMGP1152.jpg
 
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Zamric

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This is how I did WalkingRocks Pond.

First I used a large kiddy pool as a template to get a good size.


I was constantly supervised by the owner!


After digging it out to a depth of @ 8"-10" I filled it up and the owner check it out for proper size and depth.


I tried lining it with stepping stones but the owner was TOTALLY unimpressed with my design...


After removing the stones, I had to smooth down the sides and the bottom....

then I laid a bottom foundation....


then I built up the sides....


then, of course, it had to spend the day drying in the Texas sun...


and now the owner spends many days hanging out pool side and taking a dip at his leisure!


This design has a couple of minor flaws in it.
1) The top edges where not thick enough and have cracked and broken off. Luckily the grass grew over the top and hides the ugliness. I love Bermuda grass!
2) it is not self draining and I must scoop out the water a couple of times a week and refill it with fresh water. It hold @ 20 gallons of water

I used 2 large bags of concrete but also used several large stepping stone that have been broken into much smaller pieces and pressed into the form. The whole structure is only about 1 1/2" - 2" thick....except as noted on the top which was much thinner.
 

Barista5261

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Very nice!

Don't you love constant supervision? My little 11 month old sulcatas constantly supervise me cleaning out their enclosures. I can only imagine what they will be like when they are Walking Rock's size!
 

OCTortoiseGuy

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tffnytorts said:
Hi TFO.
Today I'm trying to figure out how to get something in the ground so Tank can self soak. Lately, a friend and I have been lifting him into a deep bucket with 5" of warm water. The trouble is, as he gets more comfortable with us, he becomes more resistant to be lifted. He's not all that heavy, but with his legs moving at the speed of light, this is a dangerous task. As of now, I have a 18" x 18" pot water catcher in the ground. This is the largest one I could find at Home Depot.
Tank TRIES to soak in the pan, but he just can't get his 19" wide self into the water.


I was thinking about digging a ditch, and filling the sides with cement. Would this be OK? Are them chemicals in cement mix dangerous?
Ideally, I wanted to get a hard plastic kidd-y pool, and bury it, but not only would h have a hard time getting out, the bottom would be slippery.

Any ideas would be fantastic.
Thanks!

Tiffany.

What did you end up making? Love to see photos of it.
 

T33's Torts

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For now, I've made a mud-wallow type thing. Soon, when the humidity drops, I will make a concrete pool somewhere. I'll add pictures when I get home on Friday.
 

lighthiker2

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ImageUploadedByTortForum1395849400.985054.jpghere is Sully's pool... Angle buried, lined with granite and a sloped entry. Autodrains to avoid overfilling due to side opening. Have potential to let it get deeper as he grows by removing layers of granite. He has no problem navigating and choosing whether to get his toes wet or soak to his bridge....
 
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