Habitat - Outdoor :: My New Outdoor Pond

[austinl01]

When I was 10 years old or so, I collected box turtles. I would take home any I found and kept them in the backyard. One even laid eggs for me. Let's skip ahead to now. I was at Ft. Morgan, Alabama last week and got to see a nest of loggerhead sea turtles hatch and make their way to the beach. It was an amazing experience that some locals never get to see. It sparked my interest in turtles again so when I got home, I decided to build a small pond, and I ordered 4 sliders from The Turtle Source. I got two yellow bellied sliders, a Rio Grande slider, and a Cumberland slider. The pond is made from a left over pond liner, driftwood collected from the Arkansas River, and large landscape rocks. It's a little over 2 feet deep. The sides are constructed by plastic mesh and the pond has bird netting over it. Here are some pictures.

My concern is that the turtles can find a way out, but I think I have done my homework on this. They look so small in the pond and are hard to find since they can hide under the logs. I'm also worried about them not being able to find the food I provide them. Are these legit concerns?

Cheers,
Austin
Little Rock, AR

[austinl01]

[austinl01]

[SINI5T3R]

Looks pretty nice for just a used pond liner. Not bad!

[steve]

Looks nice! They will be able to scale any sort of mesh barrier. Another reason to have a very secure top would to keep predators out.

For feeding, you might want to feed them separately until you know they are eating and have a good appetite.

[austinl01]

Thanks, guys. I would like to put flat rocks around the pond to hide the liner more. I may do that this fall or next spring. For now, I just wanted to get them outside for some heat and sun.

What kind of container should I feed them in? Do I just put water in a container, put the turtle in it, and some food; then, wait until the turtle ate it to return it to the pond?

Thanks,
Austin


Update: I just went out to the pond and could only find 3 turtles! One escaped through a small crack I think. There are no signs of him anywhere. It was my only Cumberland slider. This is terrible. The other three turtles are inside right now. I'm trying to figure out if I should just put them in an aquarium since they are so small or what.

[steve]

You can use any container that holds water. If you might leave them unsupervised in the container, make sure the water is as deep as their shell is long.

Sorry to hear he got out Here are some tips to try: http://www.redearslider.com/lost_turtle.html

[Jay-Jakk]

Don't give up man. I just found my African Side Neck turtle just a few moments ago and he had been AWOL for THREE weeks! He seems OK either way he's in our tank for observation. Hang in there austinl01. They're mostly always in the area you wouldn't think. I've found them a couple of times under the car!