General Care Discussion :: River Cooter in UK Pond

[ch12ag]

Hi guys just wondering on your opinion. I have a hieroglyphics river cooter which I would liek to move to my 6ft Pond, all i want to know is will he survive, I have an out of water secure basking area. Im referring to will he survive the water temps and air temps. I have a 300W pond heater. thanks

[jozzep]

I'm not familiar with the weather in the UK, but you can put a thermometer in the water and see how cold it gets.If it stays around 25C he should be ok.
Do you keep the pond and heater running in the winter?

[ch12ag]

yes the pond heater will be running in the winter can get quite cold other wise like 1 or 2C water temp

[ch12ag]

what temperature will they hibernate at??

[ch12ag]

sorry im so stupid not 1 to 2C i meant 5-10C, wrong numbers

[adam85491]

You will have to bring the turtle inside for the winter...it can't survive in water that cold and it isn't recommended to attempt hibernation for captive turtles.

[jozzep]

If the water temps are good (be sure to check) I would say go for it.....The turtle will hibernate at those temps and the water is above freezing at 5C.
Just keep an eye out since the turtle has never hibernated before.
Good luck

[ch12ag]

yea ok i think i'll wait to see what the temps are like in winter. I heard if the temp is above freezing at approx 4 to 8C then the turtle would be fine to hibernate. anyhow i will check thanks guyz

[adam85491]

You must put leaves and mud down in order for the turtle to hibernate...not 100% that will work either.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

You dont need anything on the bottom of pond to hibernate. Just somthing for them to hide under.

[theartbook35]

Make sure you check every once in a while, and leave out a little bit of lettuce or pellets, in case your turtle happens to wake up early, that way, it has food.

[ch12ag]

excellent thanks for the tips guys. We have a big concrete pond which has lots of mud and decomposed matter at the bottom anyway with a few pits and things so im sure that bit will be fine. My major concern is temperatures so im hoping the water temps wont go below 5C so will monitor first

[jozzep]

ch12ag......Even if the water freezes, the turtle will survive if the pond is deep enough (1 meter should be ok).
In NJ all ponds get frozen to the point that people can iceskate on them.....Once summer comes around, the turtles are still there.

[ch12ag]

i see, i didnt think of that. Our pond is 5ft-6ft deep and 10ft-12ft in length but has a small shall area too which is probably about 0.5ft deep and 4ft in length. I think they are enjoying the much bigger space they have in the pond

[steve]

Hey ch12ag, you might also want to check with turtle keepers in your area. They would more familiar with the weather and setup requirements.