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Hello,

I am new to turtles. I have an indoor, unheated atrium with a pond. I would love to get a turtle living it in, but am concerned about temperature. I live in near Seattle, WA and will not be heating either the water or the air in the winter. The room does not freeze, but temperatures do get into the low 40's. My fish have survived a couple of winters. I can add a basking spot, but probably not provide adequate hibernation habitat. Any advise? Can a RES survive in these conditions all winter?

I've never tried to hibernate any of my turts but it's not something I would risk. I was told by my vet that I could let the water temp drop as low as 60F without them going into hibernation or dying. Still not gonna do it. I think 40 is a bit too close to freezing.

Thanks for the info on your experience. Maybe I should stick with fish.

I agree that this sounds too cold. In the low 40s, a turtle will be too warm to hibernate but too cold to eat or function. It would probably drown or get a respiratory infection and die that way.

Ugh...does it make a difference if I provide a basking/heat light all year? How important is it that the water is warm as well?

matthewpetrich wrote:Ugh...does it make a difference if I provide a basking/heat light all year? How important is it that the water is warm as well?

It's one of the most important things in a turtles habitat! Without the water being the correct temp and kept constant without a great amount of fluctuation, all you'll be doing is setting the turtle up for serious illness (pneumonia, respiratory infection). Both the water and basking temp is extremely important. Unless you can provide a heater to the atrium to bring the ambient air/room temp up as well, I wouldn't risk putting a turtle in there.

Ok...thanks for the info. What about hibernation? Our local lakes are lousy with turtles that survive the winter. I don't know which species they are, but I am pretty confident that they are not native, as our Western Pond Turtle is pretty scarce here (I think I have seen Western Painted). Where can I get info on hibernation? I have been searching the web for two days, but cannot get any detailed info on overwintering.

It is not recommended to hibernate captive turtles. RES hibernate in the muddy bottoms of rivers and lakes/ponds in the wild at a certain depth and temperature. This is something that can not be perfectly duplicated in captivity which is why it's advised against. Many times trying to hibernate captive turtles leads to illness or death. Here's what the main site says about hibernation: http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care_3.html

Thanks. I will re-read. Thanks again for your help.

matthewpetrich wrote:Ok...thanks for the info. What about hibernation? Our local lakes are lousy with turtles that survive the winter. I don't know which species they are, but I am pretty confident that they are not native, as our Western Pond Turtle is pretty scarce here (I think I have seen Western Painted). Where can I get info on hibernation? I have been searching the web for two days, but cannot get any detailed info on overwintering.

A turtle in a natural body of water has a layer of mud, deep in the bottom of a highly oxygenated natural lake or river. A turtle in your house won't have that.

I do think you should stick with fish. A turtle is really not an ornament to a pond; they will eat and shred plants, eat and shred fish, dig in planters, etc. They poop a lot more than fish, and their health is more delicate than that of a fish. You might find that you don't like the way your pond looks with a turtle in it.