Yellow belly slider turtles outside pond in Ireland?

Indricotherium

Is it possible to heat an outdoor pond, and provide a filter, UVB light, turtle island etc to an outdoor pond?

Would a warm pond attract other, unwanted, critters?

The main worry I would have about something like this, is that the power would fail in the depths of winter and the temp in the pond would drop quickly. Is there any way to safeguard against this? I wouldn't want Beebop and Rocksteady to freeze!!

él statutorio

You could heat it alright but it's cost a small fortune.

I'm no expert in turtles but I'd imagine slider turtles can withstand some temperature drops alright, I doubt they'd manage a full Irish winter though. Wouldn't it just be easier and cheaper to keep them indoors?

Indricotherium

él statutorio wrote: »

You could heat it alright but it's cost a small fortune.

I'm no expert in turtles but I'd imagine slider turtles can withstand some temperature drops alright, I doubt they'd manage a full Irish winter though. Wouldn't it just be easier and cheaper to keep them indoors?

Oh of course, it'd be easier indoors, but there is a limit to how big a tank my house can accomodate, especially when they need a one all to themselves.

I'd say once they get big enough, they'd be bird, dog and cat proof that's the other worry, aside from the heating system failing.

él statutorio

Indricotherium wrote: »

Oh of course, it'd be easier indoors, but there is a limit to how big a tank my house can accomodate, especially when they need a one all to themselves.

I'd say once they get big enough, they'd be bird, dog and cat proof that's the other worry, aside from the heating system failing.

how big are they?

Maybe consider putting them in a garage or a garden shed for the winter? You could probably heat them more cheaply than an outdoor pond and it might be easier to manage.

Just off the top of my head, maybe a little wooden garden shed, lob some insulation into it, stick in a precast fibreglass pond and a few heat/uv lamps?

It mightn't be ideal but it's probably better (and cheaper) then an outdoor heated pond.

Papillon!

people here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1393 might be better able to help

deceit

I would be interested in knowing this also as my brother has 3 of them and they are out growing his 450 litre tank and 100 litre dry dock and he is looking into building a pond to suplement it so they have more space.

Indricotherium

él statutorio wrote: »

how big are they?

Maybe consider putting them in a garage or a garden shed for the winter? You could probably heat them more cheaply than an outdoor pond and it might be easier to manage.

Just off the top of my head, maybe a little wooden garden shed, lob some insulation into it, stick in a precast fibreglass pond and a few heat/uv lamps?

It mightn't be ideal but it's probably better (and cheaper) then an outdoor heated pond.

The financial side of it is not the issue, it's more that they will at some stage outgrow the 65 litre tank they are in and require more space.

I'm just trying to identify the practical barriers to it.

él statutorio

Indricotherium wrote: »

The financial side of it is not the issue, it's more that they will at some stage outgrow the 65 litre tank they are in and require more space.

I'm just trying to identify the practical barriers to it.

I'd look into some sort of garage conversion thing in that case. I'm sure you could get something set up that would meet all their needs.

DBB

OP, I have moved your thread to the aquarium/terrarium/vivarium sub-forum, as you may get the specialised advice more readily here
Good luck!
DBB

Indricotherium

DBB wrote: »

OP, I have moved your thread to the aquarium/terrarium/vivarium sub-forum, as you may get the specialised advice more readily here
Good luck!
DBB

Thanks!!

SpatialPlanner

Indricotherium wrote: »

Is it possible to heat an outdoor pond, and provide a filter, UVB light, turtle island etc to an outdoor pond?

Would a warm pond attract other, unwanted, critters?

The main worry I would have about something like this, is that the power would fail in the depths of winter and the temp in the pond would drop quickly. Is there any way to safeguard against this? I wouldn't want Beebop and Rocksteady to freeze!!

I was thinking along the same lines as you.

We got two Yellow Bellied Sliders and all the starter kit and the tank etc. I was doing a bit of research on homing them in an outdoor pond but I think there is a risk to their well being once it goes below a certain temperature in the pond.

They tend to kick into hibernation mode at around 10 Celsius and to hibernate, they need to be fairly fit. There are lots of things to consider when keeping them in the outdoor pond as well. Remember sliders are used to a decent climate, even in the Winter months. You have to have a bit of a land area around the pond and have to keep it fenced off to keep them in, they're always on the lookout for a mate! Also, you'd have to put a bit of mesh over the pond to stop predators swooping in and swiping them from the pond.

I think the idea of having them in a garden shed is a good one but I would be dubious about that being enough. The shed would have to be dedicated to keeping the turtles.

I'm going to have a look at a few ideas for keeping them outdoors because I want to keep them in as natural a habitat as possible. I'll probably keep them indoors until they are a bit older and maybe ease them into the outdoor pond in the mid Summer months next year.

If you're keeping them outdoors in a pond, it's a good idea to keep some small goldfish in the pond as well to give them something to feed on. They are natural hunters/predators apparently. The two I have are quite young but already they are agitated by each other. Lots of rivalry for food at feeding time.

It's worth noting for anyone thinking of getting a 'Terrapin' turtle. They aren't a placid little pet. They're narky little shysters who will hiss, snap and scrape with their rather sharp nails. Although if you look after them and learn how to handle them, you'll get hours of fun out of them. Also worth remembering that they're not an ideal house pet. They outgrow their tank (unless you can fit a tank the size of a bathtub in your living room) fairly quickly and they require a lot of attention. Their tank gets dirty VERY quickly so you might have to clean them out twice or three times a week. Don't rely on the pump/filter to do the work. They'll just get sick and cost you more in the long run. :eek:

The Irish Winter climate is the biggest thing to consider I'd say. I'm pretty sure freezing temperatures would cause them problems. Oh yes! There's also the oxygen in the pond to consider. If the pond freezes over, that would cause them problems because they hibernate on the bottom of the pond in silt.

Lots to consider!

Let me know how you get on.