Habitat - Outdoor :: Outdoor threats

[beauderek]

Hi all,
Just found the forum and I love it. I have learned more in the last hour than in the two years I've owned my 2 RES.
My two turtles have 6.5" and 6.0" shells. They're big boys (or girls...haven't gotten to that forum yet!). They've outgrown their 55 gallon tank and we're considering moving them outside to a pool or pond (one of them likes to jump out of the tank and explore the house anyway, so we know it's time to give them room to roam).
We're down on the Gulf Coast, so weather-wise I'm not concerned about the adjustment, but I am concerned when I read about the other animals that may try to "snack" on them.
I have four cats that go in and outdoors. They don't bother with them at all, even when they've escaped. Can anyone tell me what animals/predators exactly do I need to be concerned about...raccoons, possums, snakes...so I know what precautions to take??
Thanks so much for any info.

[TexasJagsFan]

Put like a chicken wire fence around the pond, to keep things in and out.

[jenaero]

racoons, cats, dogs, hawks, squirrels, basically every animal that's out there. I heard of someone who's RES got it's legs chewed off by a racoon and her other one was carried away by a hawk...not good.

[RES Tampa]

It will also depend a lot on the area you live in. Im mainly concerned about racoons in our area because im sure they would go in the water if they really wanted to get to the turtles. I take ours out at night to be safe. My biggest concern was to keep the turtles in. They are good climbers so you will need some type of barrier. How big a pond are you planning?

[marisa]

I'd have any protective barrier around the pond also be set into the ground for at least several inches--I don't know what predators you have where you are, but many are adept at digging under a wire fence (for example) to get to prey if they really want to. Having the fence set into the ground would help prevent them from being able to do so.

If they're small, I'd have it enclosed on top as well with something like 1/2 inch hardware cloth. It there was no protection overhead, I'd have places for them to hide under from overhead predators.

[beauderek]

Thank you all for your tips and information. We're still just in the "considering" phase right now. I don't have any specifics on how we're going to house them outside, but wanted to be sure that when I do it, I do it the right way. I actually starting searching the internet the other day to find out whether or not it was a possibility...and that's how I found this site.

The other issue is that we're planning on moving to another state in the next year, so I really don't want to go to the expense of sinking a pond and all of the equipment associated with it where I am now. It may end up that the best choice is just to move up in tank size and keep them indoors until after we resettle.

But thanks again for all of the info. It's nice to know there are so many others out there who take such good care of their RES!

[fric]

We have an above the ground kidney shaped 145 gal molded pond that we surrounded with castle rock. On top of the castle rock we placed flat pieces of rock (don't know what it's called) that cover the top and overlaps the edges about an inch so our turts can't get away. They are such climbers you know and can escape if the the water level gets too high.
In the pond we have a huge potted umbrella palm plant submerged that serves as shade as well as a basking spot in a portion of it that I keep trimmed back. It is also a good source of cover for our turts too because we do have a hawk that eyes them from time to time.
My other basking area is a cement block standing on it's end which has what else ... a turtle stepping stone on top of it that is flat and serves very well as a platform for them to crawl up on. The cement block also provides a good hiding place for them under water.
And best of all ... you can take it all with you when you move!
Everything is at Lowes too ... Good luck!
fric

[fric]

I forgot to mention that I do have a home-made filter system that pumps 300 gals an hour. It is actually a fountain pump that I rigged with a plastic container that I found at a swimming pool store and that I have placed about an 8 inch sponge filter in. It works very well and I only have to clean it about once a week depending on the time of year etc ... fric

[beauderek]

Wow, sounds like you've got the perfect set-up! I hope you don't mind if I have one question...Is the pond a regular old outdoor pond that you've just elected not to bury or do they actually make above-ground ponds?
Thanks.

[fric]

I do have the perfect setup. My pond is just outside my patio door and I'm lucky to have a patio that is partially under the roofline as well as the rest of it open to the sun.

I positioned the pond where the majority of it is in the sun for the turts to bask, but close enough for me to be covered should it be pouring down rain. There is also an electrical outlet right there for the fountain/pump.

One thing to remember when you pick your spot for the pond is the sun.
Full sun on it for a long time can make it like a boiling pot. We have a lot of big trees that shade us and my pond only gets full sun 3 or 4 hours in the afternoon. This seems to be enough for my happy healthy bunch in our 100+ degree temperatures and the water doesn't seem to get too warm for them.

The umbrella palm I have in the pond shades more than half of it too depending on how much of it I keep trimmed back. These plants get huge. They can also blow over ... so if you get one for shade reasons, be sure it's held down securely under the water. I have mine submerged in a 15" plastic pot with a cement block half in it holding it down as well as where I got the plant rooted. They don't need dirt and will grow like crazy.
It also creates a means of hiding the turts from that pesky hawk that hangs out around our house.

Go to pondUSA.com and then to the flex-form ponds part of the site.
The one I have is the "Tahoe" pond and I did elect not to bury it because I wanted the option to take it with us should we ever move.

These ponds are heavy duty and by placing the castle rock around them you can make an attractive outside pond at your doorstep or anywhere else you want without the digging and it being permanent.

I got real creative with this project, did it all myself and am blessed to have a husband who let me do it. That was 10 years ago and I haven't had any leaks yet and my turtles love it!

I'm going to try to post some pictures of it for you when I get some time and figure out how to do that. Look for them and good luck with your pond ... fric