Habitat - Outdoor :: New baby turtle res ok for pond?

[backdoc77]

Got this guy from a friend who didn't want to care for him anymore. He's only about an inch long. I already have 2 res in my pond about 5 inches long. Is it safe to release the baby into the pond? The water is almost 80 degrees.
Any help would be appreciated.

[Linus]

Unfortunetly it is not. The big RES will tear the little guy apart.

RES are very territorial.

Trust me, I have lots of experience in the small-large turtle interactions in the pond.

[backdoc77]

Darn, I should have checked here first. I released the baby into the pond 3 days ago. So far he is doing fine. I witnessed some very close interaction between the baby and the larger turtles with no negative reaction from the larger turtles. The baby did retreat however, I guess he's not used to larger turtles. Anyway, I am keeping a close watch.
Do you guys think there is a chance it could work out well? Or should I take the baby out? How long would it take for the larger turtles to become aggressive towards the baby?

Again, thanks for the help.

[sflemin2]

I would take him out until he is bigger... Do you have a tank?

[happycamper]

I would get a cheapo tank somehow and let him get a bit bigger, then stick him back in the pond.

[sflemin2]

Craigslist! They usually throw in filters and heaters with the tank

[Linus]

There is always a chance, how big is the pond.

[backdoc77]

There is always a chance, how big is the pond.

It is a 500 gallon cement pond with a waterfall, water hyacinths, goldfish and a large basking rock. All 3 turtles basked on the rock together this afternoon. At meal time they all ate together with no sign of aggression from the larger turtles.
Anyway, I'll be watching closely this weekend.

[Linus]

I would love to see some pictures

[backdoc77]

I would love to see some pictures

The only pictures I can get are zoomed through the window from my house. They are skittish and jump in the water as soon as I go outside
This forum has a 256KB limit on picture uploads. When I resize, you can't really see the baby. I'll try anyway.

[Linus]

Can you get a picture of the entire pond?

[SINI5T3R]

A 500 Gal pond should be ok for a baby turtle with larger turtles. I had a 600 gal pool with full grown turtles and baby's and never had one incident. Usually they will flutter at eachother before anything real happens and even then its a small chance that it will escalate to biting. Especially with so much room.

[backdoc77]

pond1.jpg (77.91 KiB) Viewed 12828 times

Can you get a picture of the entire pond?

Here ya go. The waterfall is off at the moment for the baby's sake. The pump is protected by a plastic turtle guard mesh, but I wanted him to have calm water for the initiation period. Underneath the falls is an area I designed with hiding spots, caves etc.

[Linus]

Very nice, looks deep.

[happycamper]

That is an awesome pond!!