Habitat - Outdoor :: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

Ponds and other outdoor enclosures.

Post Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 3:20 pm   Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

I want to let my 2 RES swim around in a pond outside, but I am afraid of the animals and birds around them. Would birds be attracted to them or like squirrels wanting to get in the water? Or even trying to eat them?


Thank you :)
sharan12
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sep 26, 2011
Location: Brampton, ON
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 3:28 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

Yes, you need to protect them. Large birds and raccoons pose the biggest threat. Household pets like cats and dogs should also be kept away.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:16 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

What would you recommend? I don't have any dogs or cats, so I'm not worried about those. But more so the large birds because we have a lot where I live.
sharan12
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sep 26, 2011
Location: Brampton, ON
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:59 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

Do you want to keep them outside 24/7? I forgot to mention that the protection would also keep them from wandering off.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:36 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

No not 24/7. Would like a fence around them work for protection?
sharan12
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sep 26, 2011
Location: Brampton, ON
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 9:56 am   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

For the most part. Not sure what to do about birds, though it might not take much to protect them depending on the pond setup.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:23 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

This is the set-up so far. The water is dirty because we had a lot of rain over the weekend. It's clearly still in the process of being all fixed up. I just want to make sure I am doing it right.
Attachments
DSC_0210.JPG
Work in progress
sharan12
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sep 26, 2011
Location: Brampton, ON
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 1:04 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

That looks okay to me. Just make sure it won't overheat, as preformed ponds tend to be on the shallow end of the spectrum.
Jeremiah
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Jun 7, 2013
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:13 am   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

If they are to bask out of the pond, they will need a ramp. If they bask in it, they will need a basking platform. There should be no gaps in the fencing, and it should go as deep as you can.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:03 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

I will be putting in a basking platform in this weekend and what kind of fencing would be the best? Would like a normal mesh fence work?
sharan12
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sep 26, 2011
Location: Brampton, ON
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 1:27 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

Turtles can climb too! It might be fine if you are going to only keep them there temporarily, but I'm not sure if you are going to supervise them or not. I tried to use an outdoor for my RES a few times over the years but they would just stay in the water.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 3:11 pm   Re: Is it safe to put my turtles in a pond outside?

Yeah, I'm going to be outside when they're out. And it's only temporarily that they'll be outside!
sharan12
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sep 26, 2011
Location: Brampton, ON
Gender: Female


Return to Habitat - Outdoor

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests