Habitat - Outdoor :: HIDING TURTLES

Ponds and other outdoor enclosures.

Post Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 9:49 am   HIDING TURTLES

I recently fell in love with a friends (hand fed) turtles and decided to add some to my 11,000 gal. pond. There are koi and frogs there now. I rescued two RES from the local humane society. After adding them to the pond I would catch sight of them every so often for 2 or 3 days. Now it's been 3 weeks and I haven't seen them. Water too cold? 72 degrees. They didn't escape because I have a chain link fence around the pond.
Two days ago I added a painted turtle that a friend found. I'm assuming he was a pet that was turned loose because he would eat from my from my hand and he was found very close to the city with no water anywhere nearby. He swam around a bit and then he also disappeared.
I've noticed that my water hyacinths are really being chewed up at night. I don't care because there in an over abundance anyway. The koi never did this much damage, so I'm assuming it's the turtles. (Do they like them?)
Now that you know the basics, my question is, is it normal behavior and how long does it take to become acclimaed?
Burt
 
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Post Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:26 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

72F is fine for older RES. Is there a basking area? RES and painteds should be basking frequently.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:06 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Yes, I have numerous basking areas. Water temp today was 76, so that's fine. I was thinking that if the previous owner had them in a tank, it might have been a lot warmer and the temp difference was confusing them. Do they generally feed at night if left on thier own?
Thanks for your input.
Burt
 
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Post Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:21 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

They should be resting/sleeping at night. Are there spots where they might be foraging? Maybe they're getting to it first thing in the morning? Some RES might want to eat non-stop though :) 70s is a fine temp for healthy adult RES and painteds.
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Post Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:34 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Thanks Steve. I have an extennsive flower bed along one side. I haven't seen any damage or other signs that they've been there. The water plants are being chewed up though. I just wish I could at least spot them once in a while so I'd know they were alright. Maybe the koi are nipping at them, forcing them to hide? I don't know what is going on. I guess I'll just have ro wait and hope for the best.
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 5:15 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Do you have any basking areas set up? Any pics (I'd love to see a 11000 gallon pond)?
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steve
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 6:37 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Yes, I have some large flat rocks sticking out of the water. Sorry, no pics. I'm old school and don't have a lot of knowledge about new tech stuff.
Burt
 
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:34 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

I've heard of many stories when new rescues (or routine-oriented non-rescues) took weeks, sometimes over a month, to get comfortable basking in a new tank/pond/living space. Unless they had shell rot/fungus before you put them in the pond, they should be okay. (As a side note for future reference, you may want to quarantine new turtles and get them vet-checked before you put them in your pond).

That being said, the rocks may be the problem. I used to have some flat rocks with my pond, but they overheated in the sunlight and burned the turtles' feet. Needless to say, they were very unwilling to bask until I gave them a log. Perhaps you have the same problem?
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 2:19 am   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Thanks Jeremiah. You've put my mind at rest for now. I did think of the rock/heat issue but thought I was over thinking the issue. I live near Lake Ontario and I'm sure the lake will provide a nice clean log to add.
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 2:54 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Good to hear. I would suggest you spray/power wash the log before adding it, to knock off any loose lake crud. Better yet, you could just go to a nearby forest or construction site and get a fresh and dry one. Hardwood is best.
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:29 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Logs are great, the flat rocks could work, maybe top it with some cork bark? Whichever you choose, it needs to be real easy to climb onto.
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steve
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Post Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:44 pm   Re: HIDING TURTLES

Thanks Guys.
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