Habitat - Outdoor :: One came back!

[Hydro]

Well, I was over at my friend's talking and went to the pond to see the cutie female who comes up to see me when I flick the water and talk at her - and there was one of the males under her rock with her! AWWWWWWW. When we walked the yard, we found the spot where he must have been burrowed....I still wonder about the other little guy...I REALLY think it's TOO cold for them outside - even here in SUNNY NORTHERN CAL it gets BONECHILLIN cold! (We got down to 29 degrees last week!)
Can someone tell me at what TEMP the pond "should be"? And, Is there such a thing as an outdoor pond heater? Other than having my Sulcata tortoise,Freddy for 8 + yrs., I'm new to this - But my friend is WORSE...He kinda got these cuties unexpectedly, and has grown fond of them...
I just ran into a little $$$, and want to help him get these sliders comfortable - whether it be heating the pond or getting an inside setup going....(he cares for his mom who has had terminal cancer for almost 2 yrs.) as I know they would be good therapy for him or at least a huge SIDE TRACK when his mom passes. He doesn't seem to like the idea of OUTSIDE electrical??? Thanks for your knowledge and help!

[marisa]

These are RES in a pond where the air temp is getting down to 29F? Exactly how big are they? In the wild, turtles would hibernate in the mud and leaves at the bottom of a pond. It doesn't sound as if they even have the proper conditions to do this if they're under a rock...

There are outdoor pond heaters, if you do a search you'll find them. Since you referred to them as "little guys," though, I'm assuming they're still small, and I agree with you in that they really shouldn't be kept outdoors at this time of year.

If you want to help your friend get his sliders comfortable (a very nice thing you're doing, btw), do some reading on this site and in the forums for what they'll need in an indoor set-up (for tank size they ideally should have an gallon of tank for each inch of shell length (two 2-inch turtles should have a 40 gallon tank, for example) but go bigger if you can. Having them inside for the winter if it gets that cold would be much healthier for them and more enjoyable for your friend. If, after doing some reading, you have specific questions, just post.

[steve]

try reading this section (and subpages):

http://www.redearslider.com/index_habitat.html

A proper setup and diet is critical to maintaining healthy turtles.