A good portion of the turtle owners in the USA keeps their turtles in an outdoor pond. Keeping your turtle in an outdoor pond requires a different approach than keeping them in an indoor enclosure. For example, you can’t use a normal turtle floating platform in a pond. There are floating docs specially made for turtles living in a pond.
I think the best floating turtle dock for ponds is Zoo Med Turtle Pond Dock. In this article, I’ll share the features, specifications, pros, and cons of this floating turtle dock. Let’s get started.
Qualities of a good floating turtle dock for ponds:
As I have mentioned earlier, floating turtle dock for ponds is much different than the basking docs used in an indoor setup. Here are the features that make a turtle dock good for ponds:
- The turtle dock should be much larger to fit at least 3-4 turtles easily. In the pond, we usually keep adult turtles. So, the floating turtle needs to be able to bear the weight of 3-4 adult aquatic turtles.
- The dock should be equipped with an adjustable height feature so that the depth of your pond won’t make an issue with the dock.
- There should be an anchor type feature with the dock. The basking dock shouldn’t roam freely around the pond. It needs to be anchored at one specific part of the pond.
- The last quality of a good floating turtle dock is, it needs to look as much naturalistic as possible. Turtle docks that look like large logs, stones etc. work the best.
Zoo Med Turtle Pond Dock:
Zoo Med is one of the most popular brands in the USA for their reptile and amphibian products. Most of their products are reliable, cost-effective and easy to use. Zoo Med Turtle Pond Dock isn’t an exception to this.
Zoo Med Pond turtle dock is a unique floating basking platform for turtles. It is specifically designed for ponds. The dock is equipped with a self-leveling feature which allows it to adjust with all water heights. The dock also has a submerged ramp which helps the turtles to easily get on to the basking area. The dock is also available in 3 sizes. So, you can choose the size that best suits your turtle.
Features:
- Zoo med turtle pond dock is a specifically made floating turtle basking platform for ponds.
- It has a self-leveling feature which allows the dock to adjust in any water depth.
- Equipped with a submerged ramp which makes it very easy to get on to the basking area
- Comes in 3 available sizes. So, it doesn’t matter how large your turtle is, you can definitely use this floating dock.
- Very easy to install and takes only a couple of minutes.
- Has a great naturalistic appearance
- Has an anchor system so that it doesn’t float around the pond freely.
Specifications:
- The dimension of the dock is 23.5 x 14.4 x 4.5 inches
- It weighs about 5.8 pounds
What’s included with the dock?
- The dock itself
- An anchor bag with string
How to set up the turtle dock?
- First, take out the turtle dock from the box. You need to rinse it thoroughly under clean water. Make sure it is properly cleaned before using in the pond.
- Now, take out the anchor bag. You’ll see a string is attached to it. Cut down the string according to the length you want your anchor to be. Make sure the anchor length suits your pond depth.
- Now you need to tie the anchor string with the dock. Under the dock, you’ll see a hook. Tie the anchor string there.
- It’s time to fill the anchor bag with clean gravel. The weight of the gravel will keep the turtle dock anchored at one place. make sure the gravels are clean and germ-free before filling them inside the anchor bag. Also, keep in mind that the gravels are not included. You need to buy them separately.
- The last step is to put the anchor bag where you want your turtle dock to be. After placing the bag, carefully put your turtle dock on the pond. Congratulations, your zoo med turtle pond dock is ready to roll!
TIPS: I would highly suggest you cut the anchor string as short as possible. It will make sure that the dock doesn’t move far much away from its original place. Also, fill the anchor bag completely with gravels otherwise a large turtle can push it around.
What do I love about this turtle dock?
- I really love the self-leveling feature of this turtle dock. Thanks to it, I don’t have to worry about my pond depth. The self-leveling feature makes this floating dock suitable for any pond depth.
- This floating turtle dock really works no matter how destructive your turtle is. I have a friend whose turtle has knocked down all the suction cups that come with a typical basking platform. It also destroyed the magnet system basking platforms. However, at last, he tried zoo med turtle pond dock and still now it is working!
- I also love the fact that I don’t have to worry all the time if the suction cups have come off from the basking dock. It’s basically the best turtle dock out there in the market for large and destructive turtles.
What I didn’t like:
- I think the material of the turtle dock is really flimsy. Zoo med should work on it and make the turtle dock with something more durable.
My final words:
It’s really tough to get a decent floating turtle dock for ponds. I am just glad that I found zoo med’s turtle pond dock. I think it is the best choice for someone who wants to get a high-quality basking dock for turtles at a cheaper price. This turtle pond dock will surely save you a lot of time and money.
However, don’t think that Zoo med’s turtle pond dock is free from error. I really think they should improve the quality of the materials used in this dock. If you want to know more and check out the floating turtle dock, click here.