A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 TURTLES

Ok..got a question for everyone..if i were to get a turtle for my pond..how do i keep it from running away from home? i really don't want to put a fence around my beautiful area..and once i get a privacy fence.it's going to be lattice..so it might be able to get to the real world..and then someone will make turtle soup out of her..and i would be really upset..so any suggestions.i think a turtle would be cute to have swimming and bathing in my pond..just need some suggestions..if anyone happens to have one of these critters..i'd love to know how you do it..i put my name on a board to receive a free one..my luck..i'll win and won't be able to keep it ..haha..

Gee, Langford, I was hoping somebody would have a turtle to talk about! I think it would be nifty to have a turtle!
There is a petshop near us that sells the cutest little green turtles, but guess what! They only sell them for "educational" purposes. I guess that means to teachers and schools.
Hey maybe water turtles don't leave their pond! That would be good.

I have some!! Or should I say had some they all ran away! I have had 4 now thank goodness they are cheap!! but they have all ran away.. I love turtles but have had no luck keeping them in the pond!

well finally someone answered me..hehe..i'm glad to know someone has tried this as well..but seeing as they have a tendency to run away..i'll go ahead and wait til my privacy fence is up..hehe..then maybe i could make sure he stays in the yard..right?

Depending on his size, he may dig his way out!

They don't dig so much as just climb out!..If you have a nice area that you can stack rocks away from the edge you may have a chance! They like to be out of the water to bask.. You also have to start with a real small one! About the size of a 50 cent peice..Making sure you bring hin/her in during the winter!

oh geeze..i'm thinking that would be too much freakin work...i wish i could have one..but dang...putting rocks around the pond and what have you..no thanks..then bringing the thing inside in the winter..i'm thinking with 5 kids, 2 dogs..and a couple of dozen fish..i have my hands full already..don't need another little critter to take care of..

Be careful. A lady around here had three adult that she found in her yard and kept as pets. The DEC found out about it and raided her house and confiscated the wild turtles.

Even though I never had turtles or a pond, I suggest putting a small island in the middle of your pond depending on how big it is. You can put a plant in the enter and the turtle can bask on the island isatead of on your lawn. You also might want to stack up rocks quite 'high' to prevent your turtle from climbing over it. Might I suggest the wall be taler than the length of your turtle from head to toe...I mean tail.

Hi, I wanted to put in my .02 here--at least as far as the turtles are concerned. Two years ago, my son wanted a turtle in the worst way and where I lived at the time (north Texas), they did not sell turtles in pet stores, or if they did, you had to prove you were an educational institution. BUT, that was a "guideline" the pet stores went by and not an actual law (a year later, I was in one of the pet stores that said they didn't sell them to the public, only to find they were selling box turtles. I asked them why they were NOW selling them and the guy told me it wasn't an actual law). Now I live in Houston and they sell turtles all over the place.

If you are interested in turtles, I bought my son's online at a place called turtlesale.com. They have a message board with a lot of knowledgeable people who can tell you how to set up an outdoor habitat for your turtle (in fact, keeping a turtle outdoors is the ideal habitat for them--they need the broadspectrum sunlight to process calcium for their shells, etc.). Plenty of people on there have outdoor habitats for their turtles, so they might have ideas for you.

I opted for a musk turtle because I didn't want to have to purchase a 100 gallon tank often required for red eared sliders or other larger turtles (the general rule is 1 inch of turtle per 10 gallons of tank space. So if you have a 3 inch turtle, you ideally need a 30 gallon tank to keep your turt happy). But if you were keeping him outside, a red eared slider would be perfect. I recently visited a local Bayou reserve and talked to a lady in charge of the Gulf Coast Turtle Society and she said red eared sliders did very well outside in warmer climates. Because my son's musk is tiny (he's 3 inches), I worry that squirrels or birds will eat him. I do take him out in a large Rubbermaid bin and keep an eye on him. I would also like to get some chickenwire and put it over the top so I don't have to be so vigilant. He likes the outdoors.

That said, they ARE very good climbers and they are a lot of work. But they are adorable, very smart and a lot of fun as well.

Kim

Thanks for the info!

Yeah, I'm thinking that is just wayyyyyyyy to much work for me..hehe..I barely have enough time to feed my fish, thank god we have 5 kids..or i don't think that would get done 3 x's a day..hehe..but thanks for the info, i think i'll just stick with fish and frogs for now..

HAHA! i mite buy turtles too! but i got another newbie question??do turtle ponds need to have filters and pump???or can they survive in water fresh from the hose?>???

i dont think they need pumps and filters..because they don't only stay in the water...do you have something to keep them in your yard nashir?