General Care Discussion :: Dry dock questions

[texasreb]

I have to dry dock my turtle for reasons not related to her, but to me. She lives in a green house in the winter and outside in the summer in a 110 gallon stock tank.

Well, the green house needs electrical work and the turtle has to come home with me for a couple of weeks. I don't have a tank at home, so she's living in a plastic tote and getting soaked in a kiddie pool.

The outdoor temperature is quite cold, so I'm soaking her indoors.

Is this okay for her for two weeks? How often should I soak her? Daily or is every other day okay?

Thanks!

[steve]

How big is the tote and the kiddie pool? Any chance the pool can be used 24/7? You can't bring the stock tank indoors?

I would try to get her soaking a couple of times a day so she at least can eat/drink/swim.

[texasreb]

I'm trying to soak her for 2-3 hours at a time outside in the kiddie pool. The tote is roughly the size of a 40 gallon breeder tank. The kiddie pool is about 3' diameter and the depth with water is enough to completely cover her. I can't leave her in it 24/7 because I have to let the dog have access to the back yard and I'm afraid he will harm/harass the turtle. I also think she can escape the pool. She's a bigger turtle, about 10" from nose to tail and maybe 7-8" wide. I have her in a little herb garden area against my house. It's got a little 2' high picket fence; I'm hoping that will keep her contained if she does get out of the pool. I do check her often when she's out; like every 30 minutes or so. I also put a rock into the center of the pool that she can climb on to get out of the water.

[texasreb]

I should add, that it is now quite warm outside! We were in a "polar weather event" but now it is in the upper 70's/lower 80's. I was heating the water from the inside tap, but now I think regular hose water is warm enough.

[steve]

If you can keep the tote filled, you can probably skip the pool.