Advice about yellow bellied slider requested

dsane1

Hi all we got a terrapin (we now know its a turtle) about 3 mths ago and its doing fine .We think it will be about 6 inches by the end of the year .At the moment its in a 2ft by 1 ft by 1ft aquarium with lamp ,platform etc ,but it will obviously outgrow this .We already have a 150 litre aquarium with fish so another aquarium is not really an option .Can we put the turtle outside in a pond set up and if so what set up is required .Any advice appreciated thanks.

Glowing

With all due respect, surely you should have done the research before you purchased him? Have you seen the huge number of people trying to rehome terrapins on the homes needed thread?!

He's going to get huge, he'll fill any tank you get, can get bigger than 7 inches when 3 years old - you're going to need a large tank with a filter and heat lamps - a place for him to swim and bask. You could put him outside, but the pond would idealy be heated during the winter .... you'd need to provide some protection from birds and cats I suppose too.

Edit: Bond_007 would be the best person to get information from, she keeps LOADS of them in a pond outdoors - some of them have laid eggs!

Our man in Havana

Yes they can live outside just fine.

If the tank has a heater start to turn this down by 2 degrees as week - then move the tank outside when we have nice warm weather.

A good side pond with a fab filter is neccessary - our pond will be huge its 6 x 24ish & goes from deep to a shallow ramp so my guys will have access to the whole garden. At the moment my guys are in an old bath with lots of stones for them to bask on! The shell is much better outside in the natural sun light. We do bring them in - in early spring to check the survived the winter ok & we scrub the shell to make sure all is well. They have been outside for 3-4 years! In that time we have only lost 2.

The pond will be finished this year & we plan to have a heated house where they can lay eggs - just to see if they hatch!

dsane1

Thanks for the helpful advice bond,we are hoping to get a few more in the future but are planning for it now !
Glowing you seem very judgemental in your reply.We did get advice from a so called expert pet shop owner who advised us it would be fine in the aquarium with the other fish .We are learning as we go ,like most people do before they become expert like you.Thanks for your help anyway.

Glowing

Sorry if I came across that way - there are just so many of these creatures that are dumped when they get too big. So few people do the proper research - seems like your pet-shop expert wasn't too much of an expert! They could co-exist with fish for a while, but would need some basking space - as they can't stay wet all the time. I'd say you'd end up with no fish in the end, they'd probably eat them!
Unfortunately, when people learn as they go with animals like these, it's too late when they realise they can't afford the equipment, or don't have the space 2 or 3 years down the line. Can you see where I'm coming from?

dsane1

Glowing i understand where your coming from but its a very negative view point.It misses out on the learning about new things for children ,caring for others ,being responsible owners etc .All this is usually learned as you go by experience and taking advice from people such as yourself and bond and when a person smacks the hand of someone asking for advice it makes that person reluctant to seek further advice.Do you understand where im coming from ?

Glowing

Sure - it's unfortunate that all owners don't have the same attitude towards pet care.

What are you feeding this lad?

They need a varied diet to keep their shell healthy - cooked chicken, cooked prawns, veg, fruit etc every now and then. You can buy bags of frozen prawns in Tesco for very cheap. It can help to feed the lad in the sink rather than in the tank because the mess they make will make the water dirty and will clog up the filter.