Habitat - Outdoor :: when to trasfer?

[rrcoolj]

Hey guys, I have two baby RES that eventually I want to put in a 300 gallon pond. would this be big enough for them momatter which gender. And around what size should I transfer them?

[Nettle]

It should be fine. Do you plan on leaving them in there permanently or just for the summer? It's not safe to let them hibernate during the winter (I'm not sure how severe Maryland winters are).

[megcornell]

You cannot guarantee that they will always co-habitat peacefully regardless of pond size.
That being said, your pond will be large enough to divide in half and they can live perfectly fine like that for life.

I wouldn't put them into the pond until they are older, probably 4-5 inches. Most turtles take about a year to grow that large, depending on diet, habitat and genetics.

[rrcoolj]

well I was planning to keep them in year round. although it dosen't snow much up here it can get cold. But there are native RES in my area(actually not sure if they are native or ferrel but either way they survive). I have read sites that say it is ok to hibernate them and some websites say it shouldn't be done. If I do bring them inside do they have to go in a huge tank?

[Nettle]

Hibernation is actually very dangerous for captive RES. They aren't native up so far north and more often than not die during the winter.

When you bring them in, you can just put them in a stock tank. They can be very big for very cheap.

[rrcoolj]

ok that's fine, do they have to be in a 300 gallon stock tank or do can I put them in like a 150 gallon?

[Nettle]

The bigger the better, but remember that for every inch of shell, there should be 10 gallons of water. So two babies at 3 inches is 3x10+3x10=60 gallons of water. A 150 gallon would do nicely for a while.

[rrcoolj]

thanks, the 150 gallon of course would only be temporary.