Habitat - Outdoor :: Small RES Showed up in my Pond

[together28]

Hi, about a month ago I noticed something moving in my little pond by my front door. It was a tiny turtle, about 1.5-2" across. He was adorable and being an animal lover, I wanted to care for him. I tried to identify him by Google search and found your site and he's definitely a RES. I've named him Bubba, however, I really don't know if it's a male or female.

The pond is built into the slate porch and it's about 2-3 ft. across, 4 ft. long and about 5 inches deep. The pond is very square and he cannot get out unless the water gets very high from rain. I bought some Tetra Repto-Min food and he eats very well but will only eat the krill and shrimp. He won't touch the pellets and I'm concerned he is getting too much protein and not enough of anything else.

I bought some Anacharis that he seems to like hanging out on, and I just got some water lettuce also. He likes to hide under the large roots.

There is a small fountain in the center of the pond and he likes to lay on top of the pump box underneath. My husband took a large rock from our yard and put it in there so he could go on it but I've only seen him on it a few times. He can tuck underneath a small part of it and does sometimes.

I talk to him all the time and often he comes up to the top of the water and sticks his head out when I talk to him but if I move too quickly or the dogs come to the window, he gets scared and darts to the bottom. I've picked him up several times to "pet" him and he tucks into his shell and sort of comes out part way.

I have several concerns at this point and I'd like advice from the members.

1. Our yard backs up to an earthen levee, and the canal that goes to the lake is on the other side. He may have come from there, I have no idea. Sometimes I wonder if I should take him out of the pond and let him go - maybe it is wrong for me to keep him there even though he came on his own. Maybe he was looking for water and fell in and couldn't get out.

2. He should probably have a more balanced diet than just the krill and shrimp but he won't eat the pellets. What is best to give him since he is so little?

3. The rock we added only sticks out of the water a tiny bit and is covered after a rainfall. I've read that basking is important and right now, he can't really bask. The pond does get some sun in the second half of the day.

4. I worry that this pond isn't large enough for him. It must be kind of boring - it's a rectangle with plants. Maybe he needs a more exciting environment or maybe a non-reproducing companion. I could add something to the pond but I don't want him to feel like "This is my life? Swimming around this little square?" Probably sounds silly.

5. He seems healthy and I just want to do right by him. If keeping him in my pond is worse for him than taking him over by the canal, I'd rather let him go. I want him to have a good life. He is very small to me but who knows, maybe at 1.5-2" across he is already 6-12 months old and he's already been in the wild for awhile. And I've been feeding him for a month and he expects it. Maybe even after a month, he wouldn't be able to find food on his own in the wild because he's used to being fed now.

6. I thought I read on this site that males have long nails and females have short nails. I thought he had long nails but after seeing some of the photo contest submissions, I realize that some of those RES have really long nails so maybe Bubba is a female. If that is the case (and pardon my ignorance here) are turtles asexual or do they have to mate to lay eggs? I read about a sandy area for them to nest and I certainly don't have that in the pond. Not that I'd want a "litter" of turtles in the little pond but if they're asexual, then I'd have to be prepared for that.

7. We used to put pond enzymes in the water to help clear the water and break down leaves and stuff. The package says it's safe for fish but what about turtles? We haven't used it since Bubba came along just in case.

These may sound like crazy concerns from a kooky person but I really do love animals (and turtles now) and want to do what's best for Bubba! Any assistance and advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would add a photo but I don't see a place to upload.

Thanks so much for your time in reading this looong post and for helping me care for this little one.

Debra in New Orleans

[scottpkura]

Some say that when a turtle shows up in your life it's a sign of good luck. They're quite costly creatures to keep, so that's arguable! J/K!

At his current size it's too early to tell. Their gender characteristics occur when they get about 4" in length. The site offers info and pics for reference.

For now if you do decide to keep it, you pond is probably OK sized. But as they get bigger you'll need to enlarge your pond or make other keeping arrangements. It does not seem like your setup can provide ample security for a captive res.

I would decide rather quickly if you were going to keep him or not. As a keeper you will most likely be offering a commercial diet and it will not recognize it's natural food source if yo should decide to release him later. Which is probably the reason it is not going for pellets, and only for the more tempting shrimp. It will eat vegetables most likely.

Turtle keeping can be a bit of work to keep them happy and healthy. You should strongly consider releasing it back to where it came from, if you think you will have a change of heart about the care needed to keep one.

[together28]

Thank you for your reply and for bringing up the realistic issues that would come up later. This pond could not be enlarged, however, we had been thinking about building a larger pond elsewhere even prior to his arrival.

I don't know exactly where he came from because he just showed up in our pond one day. I'm just assuming that since he's an aquatic turtle, he must have been hatched near the canal and then went on an adventure over the levee that landed him here. He may be better off by the canal in the sense that he would have lots of water access, a bank to lay on, and natural sources of food; however, there are many ducks, cranes, egrets and pelicans that hang around the banks, levees and also go in the water looking for food. There are also many, many people who jog, ride bikes, and walk their dogs on and off leash on the levee and green areas near the canal behind our house. In that sense, I don't know if he would be safer there than here or if his life would be better or longer there than if he stayed here.

Right now his pond is next to the front door which is a covered area, and in front of that we have a circle driveway that has a large, extended cover over the area in front of the house. We never see birds or animals in this area, just bugs, chamelions and geckos.

If I commit to keeping him now, my decision will not change later. Just like our dogs, once they're part of the family, we would never give him up just because his needs change or he grows too much, etc. I've already grown fond of him but still want to do what's in his best interest. If I knew he had a Mom and siblings right down by the canal it would be an easy decision not to keep him in captivity but not knowing what kind of environment it would be for him there, I'm thinking of keeping him.

I am curious - When you say "quite costly", do you think it would be any more costly than caring for a dog or a cat? We don't have any children, but we have three dogs who we treat like our children, and we take excellent care of them. We would do anything for them.

Thanks again!

[scottpkura]

I think the cost factor can be summed up as "it depends" Some dog owners spend a ton on their dogs, and some don't.

If you plan on keeping your turtle to adulthood they can get fairly large (up to 12") So keeping the 1":10 Gallon rule you will need 120 Gallons for a single adult RES. Lateral swimming room is important, but Depth can be just as important (probably more important if outdoors so they can hide and hibernate). Turtles are Messy, they are sloppy eaters and they poop in the water they swim and eat drink in. You'll have to look into some method of filtration. It is not recommended to hibernate captive RES, but there are some that do it with success. So you'll most likely need to invest in some indoor inclosure with filtration and lighting when it gets cold outside.

[together28]

There is some random dirt on the bottom of the pond and every now and then I see him burrowing under it so he is covered up. He LOVES the water lettuce and likes to hide under the roots. He also likes to lay in between the anacharis and just float around, still under the water. I go outside and sit beside the pond frequently to talk to him and he comes up to the top and comes over by me. He sticks his head out of the water and if I talk to him in "baby talk" he tilts his head. I can't believe I admitted that, but he knows me and is showing a lot more trust around me. He comes by me whether I have food or not and hangs around until he gets scared by something.

We are the people who spend a lot on their dogs but not on things like outfits and booties. We give them human grade food, supplements, and are big on preventative care. If I find a lump or something unusual, even if the vet thinks it's harmless now, I have it removed while they are under anesthesia for their dental cleaning so it doesn't cause problems later. We have a 9 y.o. insulin-dependent diabetic Rottweiler, a cancer surviving 14 y.o. Maltese and a healthy 15 y.o. American Eskimo.

Regarding hibernation, we live in New Orleans and the winters are usually mild. Sometimes it's cold in January but we rarely get freeze warnings and we have had a light snow every 4-5 years that melts right away. I'm not sure what is all involved in hibernation but would those temps be cold enough for hibernation?

We would definitely have to build a larger, deeper pond when he starts growing. We have a spot that we've been talking about that would be good for the pond. I would just have to figure out how to enclose the area with screening so nothing harmful could get to him. My husband is a commercial plumbing contractor so building a pond with a filtration system should be something he can handle. He also wants to have a waterfall that runs down a slope of stones.

I have a lot more reading to do on the website and I have to figure out what I'm going to do about his eating habits. Is it okay to give him the mini-krill and baby shrimp everyday? This morning, I put a few small pieces of romaine lettuce in the pond to see if he would eat it. Is there something else I can give him in place of the pellets since he doesn't like them?

Thanks again for your help!

[scottpkura]

Avoid the mini-krill and shrimp. Those are OK as occasional treats and you can use them to coax eating if he's ignoring pellets. Put you'll want to keep trying the pellets, eventually - he'll go for it. "wild" RES readily eat Veggies I've noticed. I have a baby RES that showed up at my backdoor and he's the only one that ate the leaf lettuce without tough love.

Avoid over feeding as too much protein causes shell defects and organ problems. A balanced diet is key to their health. Search on the Nutrition threads for serving portions.

I'm glad to hear your RES seems so Happy. I think they go into hibernation if the temps fall below 35 F, don't quote me on that. But it's not advised to hibernate captive RES. The depth of your pond would not be adequate enough to hibernate a RES safely. It'd probably die of RI or hypothermia. You should prepare a container for indoor keeping during the winter. The main site goes over the various indoor habitat. In your case a Plastic container would probably be enough.

Check the Other "Pond" threads on pond construction. There are quite a few galleries that show pretty creative and natural designs with fencing for roaming RES.

[together28]

I think I'll be using tough love on him with the pellets too, because I've been giving him krill and shrimp twice each day and he has gotten used to it. He didn't touch the romaine lettuce pieces that I put out yesterday. I threw it away this morning because I didn't know how long to leave it out.

Is it okay to use the pond enzymes with him in there? The package says it is safe for use around fish, but there's no mention of turtles.

I will definitely read the threads on nutrition and pond construction.

My husband thinks he's more like 2 1/2" long (shell only) rather than the 1 1/2-2" that I thought. I will have to pick him up and measure him.

Thanks!

[scottpkura]

In theory, if it's safe for fish it's should be safe for Turtles. Fish are more sensitive than turtles since all water impurities effect their bodies.