Habitat - Outdoor :: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Ponds and other outdoor enclosures.

Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 7:10 pm   Quesrions about outdoor set up

I just acquired two red eared sliders from a woman who could no longer keep them and was planning on just releasing them into the wild. I received them in a 20 gallon long tank along with a basking spot and lam and filter. I don't know much about them but am pretty positive that this is much to small for them to live in. I plan on setting up a pond in my back yard for them as soon as possible but would like some advice on how to go about it. I live in Tennessee can I keep them outside all year or should i bring them in during the winter? What type of filter should I use?How big should the pond be? Do they need a lamp out side?
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:09 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Welcome to the forum! You are right, 20 gallons is a bit small.

How big are they now? If they are over 4" long, you can figure out their genders which will have a big role on what you can do with them. If the temperature freezes where you are, you will have to do a lot more work to keep them outside year round. As you mentioned, you can opt to ring them inside and a large amount of people do this. You won't need any lamp outside and any heating element is usually not required,

For filtration, it depends on what you do and the style of your pond. Once we figure out the other details, we can look into a filter.
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:19 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

They are about 5". The woman I got them from said one was male and the other female and that they have been kept together their whole life.
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:28 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Males will be aggressive when they get a bit older, so I would make sure you're right about the genders before deciding on anything. I have to keep my male/female in separate tanks. http://www.redearslider.com/determining_sex.html
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:03 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

After looking at that I am pretty positive that they are both female.
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 10:39 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

If they are 5", then you should be able to confidently determine gender. Females have a much better change of getting along but might want to nest. Plus, they grow a bit bigger than males too.
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 12:25 am   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Hello, writing from southern California where the spring temps are 50 at night to about 80 in the day. I just rescued a RES and have an outdoor pond set up for her. Female RES is 7", came from animal shelter, so don't have any history. I put her in the pond, good size fairly deep, with med size goldfish that were there before and feedfish for her to eat. She swam around for a few hours and then went on land and hid herself under the leaves in the bushes. Did this twice. Is she cold, nervous, nesting or looking for a mate? I left her there for tonight. Any suggestions?
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:23 am   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Probably cold and nervous. You likely still need to use a good pellet with her, are there any aquatic plants in the pond? You will probably want to secure the ponds perimeter too.
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 4:04 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Thanks Steve, I have a good pellet and bought feeder fish too. Perimeter has been secured with blocks. I will look into plants. I will try not to disturb her too much and let her settle in. With the temps being 50 to 80 lately, is it ok to leave her outside and let her burrow in dirt/leaves to keep warm. I wasn't planning to construct a heated environment. Does she need a little turtle house?
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:42 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

50F is a bit cold for my personal taste, but she is older and should be able to handle it. Maybe the water doesn't reach that temp depending on how deep it is. I wouldn't let her burrow outside, she might be expecting to brumate, a little house isn't necessary. Would it be possible to get a heater for it?

Was she kept outdoors before? If not, she might not be used to the temperature changes.
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:11 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

When I found her at the animal shelter, she was kept outside with no place to borrow, just in a kiddie pool with some rocks. Tuesday morning, she was in borrowing spot #1. When I got home today, she was in burrowing spot #2, so I know she had to get in the water to get to spot #2.
A land heater? I would be worried about electrical items around water. are there such things as heating pads?
In our climate, RES are all over in the wild. They are outside in an unenclosed pond. They seem to thrive in our climate.
thanks for your tips.
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:19 pm   Re: Quesrions about outdoor set up

Sorry, I meant a submersible water heater. How big is the pond?
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