General Care Discussion :: out of water

[roo450]

now its warming up in uk,been letting my res tez out of his tank and out into the back garden.he seems really happy troting about for hours..can anyone let me know how long is ok before he should go back in the tank.cheers

[JohnA]

make a spot in the garden where he can access clean, non chlorine water and he should be fine for months to be honest. thats if you feed him and give him a high platform to climb onto for basking. you can also bring him in at night. i wouldnt really leave him out more than 3 hours. also if it gets to hot and to much sun its unhealthy. therefore make a nice spot in the ground for him to go underwater and cool off. you can purchase a nice pond tub like 75 gallons for like 40 to 60 bucks $$$ stick it in the ground. put sand on the bottom than drop the tub in. sand bags ????? $1.99 there real cheap. nice water pump with a filter will run you about $35 to $350. The $35 bucks one will do you just fine for that size. The pump comes with a filter and dont forget a basking platform or exit outta the pond but if theres a exit out of the pond u will need small chicken fencing so he doesnt escape. its not that he hates u or anything but they just dont know any better. he will run away and most likely not come back.

[LilTurtSquirt]

[novroz]

I believe they can stay out a long time...My baby turtles bask for more than 5hours sometimes...But I think you should let your turtle decides for himself.

My turtles will go back inside the house and stand near their tank...and that's the time for me to put them back

[JohnA]

Ya but keep in mind that turtles under to much heat will sizzle out there in the hot sun. The sun rays and heat are much stronger then your basking lamp and bulb. Also keep in mind that the turtle can jump in the water to cool off. So ya he might be up basking for 5 hours but that's only what the eye can see. Who knows how many times he has jumped into the water to cool off. Where's is gonna do that outside ? He can't turn on the garden hose and soak himself under the cold running water. I wouldn't keep him outside more than an hour. Also don't forget for fungus build up, algae, and infections can grow with a lot of warm heat. So if he's sick that very very hot air is gonna make it a lot worse for him. Go buy a kiddie pool from any store wall mart, kmart, target. Anywhere it doesn't matter. There no more 15 bucks at some places. Fill it with about 75 to 80 degree water and leave it in the backyard. Take the basking platform outta your tank and put it in the pool and there you go u can now leave him out all summer if you want. If u decide to do it and not use a filter then just clean the water once a week by completely dumping it out. Which shouldn't take more then 2 minutes and use got yourself a cheap pond or u can take your tank filter that your using for your turtle and put it in the pool. It will still work. Just dechlorinate the water and your all set to go. I'm sure he will love it. No more basking lights for him. The suns rays will keep him even healthier then your lamps and he's got a nice cool water pool to cool off in. Now you don't have to worry about him baking in the water......

[Spike 7.62]

I wouldn't let him outside more than 2 hours at a time, so the sun doesn't cook him. If he's moving around a lot, he may be trying to find water. In the wild they can go in the water whenever they want; try to replicate that.

-Spike

[roo450]

good idea johna,bought a kiddie pool for £2,built some steps into the pool with rocks.now tez can go in and out when ever he wants,doesnt seem to spend much time in the pool tho,he likes exploring thru the plants..but i keep squirting him with the hose for a cooler,think hes liking that...cheers