When my wife and I bought our home 3 years ago it came with a 60s era concrete in ground swimming pool that had been filled to the rim with soil and used as a rose garden for almost 20 years. Last summer I decided to pull out much of the dirt, sculpt it with a deep end, a shallow end and a channel connecting the two and fill it with water to see what happened. The pond has given us tremendous joy as it matures. It's amazing to see all of the vegetation that has come in (willows, cottonwoods, grasses) to go along with the few things we planted and the toads and fish and birds and insects have flocked to it.
We got Dovey this past Sunday when a friend called to implore us to take her from a horrible situation she was in. She was left to stew in pea soup in small outdoor tank with no pump or filter mechanism. Our friend's neighbor, when confronted said he didn't want her and couldn't take care of her. Understatement, although the neighbor had just taken her over from someone else.
I don't have any other history on Dovey but she's 9" (shell length) so she's obviously been around.
I was a bit hesitant at first thinking of the fish (4-5" goldies) and the toads and what Dovey would do in the winter but we agreed.
As soon as she was in the water she took after the fish but it was comical because as hungry as she probably was she had no chance of getting them. That may change but I'm now less concerned that she can clean the place out. I know when the toads mate again next spring she'll probably eat a lot of the eggs but they are prolific for a reason so that will balance out.
I have been feeding her land snails which we have plenty of here. She tries to yank them out of the shell but if she can then she's crushing the shell and eating them. We've also given her crickets and grass hoppers, rollie pollies and pellets. So far she hasn't been at all interested in the vegetables but I'll keep trying. She also hasn't touched the pond plants yet. It grows so much that I have to cut it back a lot so if she's willing to help I'll be happy.
The property is 3/4 of an acre fenced at the perimeter and the back yard (where she is) is fenced as well so she has about a third of an acre to wander if she wants to. So far she has basked a lot but just on the bank in the grass. She starts as soon as the sun comes over the trees on the eastern boundary.
We have three dogs (a lab and 2 min pins). They are curious but not obsessed with her and respond to my corrections if they get too close to her. She decides whether or not to go back into the water but most of the time she just stays there and looks at them and then they trot off.
I work from home and the pond/patio is my office most of the time so I've been observing her right along with the pond life. It is a good fit and I'm very glad that we agreed to bring her in.
Night time she goes to the muddy bottom under the parrot feather. I plan to let her hibernate this winter since the original pool is 5 feet deep and there is a minimum of 2 feet of mud and in some areas 5 feet because of the contouring.
I want to heartily thank the people that make up redearslider.com and turtle talk. I've read almost every word on here so get up to speed quickly and for ideas because I've never had responsibility for a turtle before. I now have confidence and know that there is a community with answers just a click away.
I've imbedded some photos in this post and will periodically update this thread as Dovey goes through the seasons and matures with the rest of the pond life.
Please feel free to comment or provides ideas or suggestions.
Regards, T.