General Care Discussion :: How hot is too hot?

[g29w]

How hot of a temp can RES handle in the water? What if they were in the wild and the temp heated up to 100F, how would they be able to survive? assuming of course, the pond/lake is small enough to not be able to remove all of the heat - like in our tanks.

[marisa]

They'd most likely leave the water and look for a cooler place much before the water heated up to 100F.

[g29w]

so i don't have to ever worry about the tank overheating?

what about for those with an outdoor pool?

[megcornell]

Where do you live and how large of an outdoor pond would you be talking about?
It takes a lot of energy to heat up water so if the pond is large enough it's temp should stay relatively constant sparing a freakish heat wave.
Also, outdoor enclosures should have shaded regions to allow RES's areas to get out of the sun, these will also help keep the water cooler.
Hope that helps.

[marisa]

A turtle in the wild has the ability to escape the heat, a captive turtle sitting in a tank does not (and glass can magnify heat), so yes, in a tank you should be concerned about a turtle overheating (and why it's wise to keep the basking area temp between 88-90F).

Outdoor enclosures, like stock tanks that are above the ground, can get too warm (a problem I had two summers ago), and shallow ponds can as well. As noted, a portion of the pond should be shaded.

[grey goose]

Most of the ponds, lakes, streams and even drainage ditches in my area have depth and circulation, which means when it gets too hot, the turts will gravitate towards the bottom (cooler) or head to where the water is moving a bit faster (circulation). The only time I see turts on the move out of water is in the spring (hibernation) but only rarely in the fall unless flooding forces them to move upland.
The only reason turts would seek out a different habitat in the middle of summer is they were forced out by dominance (males) or to lay eggs (female).
A tank is a totally controlled environment. Controlled by you, not Mother Nature. If a tanks water temp were to reach 100F, even with high circulation, I believe it would be fatal to a turt.....