Habitat - Outdoor :: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in summer?

Ponds and other outdoor enclosures.

Post Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 1:07 pm   Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in summer?

I live in Washington State, the Tri Cities area, in the Sagebrush Steppe (mostly only sagebrush grows naturally, its pretty much a desert). They sell Red Ear Sliders at pet stores here. I have read that they are an invasive species in the western coast area, but the temperatures are less cold and less extreme over there (since it is moderated by the ocean), but over on the east side, there is this rain shadow effect, where all the rain from the seas dumps into the cascade mountains before it arrives here. So it is a desert with very little moisture. It is sunny most of the time, and there are high winds, and fluctuating temperatures. In the day it might be up to 90-100 degrees fahrenheit, and then in the night or on some cooler days, it can get down to about 50. I read that Red Ear Sliders hibernate or brumate around 50 degrees, but would they actually do that during the summer months when they know the temperature will read over 80 the next day? I have a shallow outdoor pet pool about 11" deep that is above ground and doesn't go beneath the frost line (which is 2 feet here, I read). The temperature in the pool seems more constant, maybe 60ish in the mornings and 80 during the day (i have monitored it for a few days now, and the coldest time is the early morning hours around 5-7 am). There are native lizards living in the area, and they seem to be ok, we also have snakes. But I haven't been able to discover wild populations of invasive sliders in this area, maybe there are though. They are not natives here.
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Post Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 8:06 pm   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

I would Not . Any predators ...even a stray dog or a neighbors pet could get Timothea . Washington State "has" Coyotes , YES ! Even with a good cover I would not trust my Piggley outside at night just because of that.
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 1:40 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

Ok, thanks for the advice. You live in Louisiana, aren't they native there? It's fenced in with a sturdy 2 foot dog fence with vertical bars spaced 1/2 inch or less between bars. She has tried to escape from it already, but the only part of her body she can get through is her head. So it's the predators though not the temperature? Would she go into hibernation just overnight, is that even possible?
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 5:40 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

Yes Native here and lots more ! http://www.nauti-lasscritters.com/state-louisiana.html

You would do better with a captive turtle not to let it hibernate , that's just my opinion. Plenty article's on the subject.
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Post Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 11:11 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

I wouldn't either unless you have a deep pond.
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 9:16 pm   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

I left her out just to experiment and see what would happen. She was alright. A local person who had turtles said it would be ok, and followed that advice. Says it is ok until September up here.
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 4:32 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

Left her out to see what happen...... when she ends up ...

You trust a person who " HAD" turtles , wonder why "HAD" ??? Rather than long time turtle keepers with turtle's in the family for 40 and 50 years ! Washington State have coyotes , even inner city's , they cover a wide range of territory . For that reason alone it's a bad call !

You state you came to this site because it seemed detailed and genuine when you got Timothea ( 6 year old ) on Craigslist. We are giving you good advice that is best for your turtle to have a happy , healthy and long life . Please use that guidance.

Please don't experiment with Timothea ! As you said you are a beginner in this hobby. If you are very good with DIY project's and can build a very secure outdoor habitat with a deep pond so predators could never get into it then maybe ... safety first for Timothea. Before Hurricane Katrina I had an outdoor pond , to be correct an safe it cost me over $$$$$ in the end and it was not that big ! Yes I live in New Orleans and yes we have coyotes here to (city coyotes) but it was made predator proof !!! It's your pet so it's your call ... I would not unless built correct for safety. Hope the worst does not happen for Timothea. Was alright tonight what about tomorrow night , it only takes one time and ... ?

I am not trying to be wicked or monstrous about this , over my 50 pulse years in this hobby I have heard and seen pictures of horrors that have happen to new turtle owners. I believe even an animal , Timothea , deserves a happy long life. It's not if it could happen but when ... predators will find a way. If you do it please make it safe don't experiment .
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 3:54 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

Hi! I have a quick question! I live in Missouri and I have two RES that I won at our town carnival 2 years ago. They have been in an aquarium in my room since I have won them and I fed them pellets once a day. I even put a small minnow in there and they loved it! Although my dad made me put them outside in our backyard pond this summer. They are in a pretty large wire cage half in the water half out with plenty of room and basking rocks and I go feed them once a day. However I have ran out of food and they haven't been fed going on 5 days now but they seem to be doing fine. I want to know would it be ok to release them into that pond? It isn't stocked with any fish except small Minnows and tadpoles and there's quite a few bullfrogs, but they seem to be doing good out in that cage even when it cools down and through the thunderstorms but PLEASE HELP me!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 10:22 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

How big is the pond? Any pictures of the setup and pond? Are you saying they're not in there yet?
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Post Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 9:52 pm   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

I had a mostly fenced in yard, and left her out all summer overnight. She is fine, and I also put a fence about 2 feet tall around her little pond, and she can get in and out of the pond, with stones I stacked there. It got down to 50 some nights and she did not go into hibernation or brumation and was just slower when it was cooler in the morning.
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Post Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 12:18 pm   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

That sounds like a cool setup. Do you have pictures of it? And what's your plan for when it gets too cold? I also live in a rain-shadow desert, but down in Southern California. Gets very hot in the summers (120's+) and cold in the winters (30 lows). Water doesn't freeze though, as it doesn't stay cold long enough. I want to figure out if a large enough pond, that is in the shade most of the day, will stay at decent temperatures in the summer. Also wonder if it will stay somewhat warmer in the winters with the help of a covering, insulation, and heaters.
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Post Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 9:15 pm   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

I have put her in for the winter because it snows here. She enjoys watching the snow from inside. I have read some since then, and they are invasive in Oregon. They live in ponds that freeze over in the winter sometimes, or so I have read. I also read some books about turtles and hibernation, and I don't want mine to hibernate just in case she doesn't wake up or something. She seems to miss the outdoors, and claws at the tank whenever I come in though. I have pictures, but don't know how to get them online.
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Post Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:18 am   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

Glad you been doing some homework. Watch out for some articles with insufficient information. Like RES turtle don't truly hibernate but brumate.
Small outdoor enclousers do not offer what nature can offer to brumate properly.
Your turtle realates you with food and is mostly begging with that type swimming . Turtle's in the wild are not 100% successful when hunting so eats everything as its last meal.
Safer to just bring her inside with a captive pet.
Your picture , resize them to about 800x800 , then will fit forum or use a third party for hosting them.
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Post Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:52 pm   Re: Is it ok to leave my red ear slider out overnight in sum

You can use www.imgur.com or www.flickr.com to upload pictures for free, or you can email them to me and I will help put them up.
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