Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: 5 sliders in Southern California

[5sliders]

I love this site and want to learn more about my sliders! I have 4 females & 1 male. I've had my sliders in the family for about 3 years now. Bought them when they 2 inches wide. 2 of the females are about 10 in. wide now. I want to start-up an outdoor pond in my backyard for my family pets and thought this would be a good place to get ideas! If you want to Know more , please respond. Thanks!

[TinySlider2]

Welcome to Turtle Talk! We all love to see pictures!

[steve]

Welcome! I'd love to see pics too, are they in a pond now or are you still planning it?

[5sliders]

I'm still planning. It's gonna be in the corner of a wall fence with possibly a fountain of water flowing from the top ( for looks and circulation.)
Right now they're kept in a 60 gal. glass tank outside under patio cover. The water is heater controlled with a huge external pump/filter system. They seem happy & healthy & content. During the day we take them out of the tank and into a plastic kiddie pool with logs to climb on. Our 5 RES love soaking up that So. Calif. sunshine!
I'll try to get pictures later on.

[missibsu]

I'm a little concerned...when you say 10 in wide, do you really mean wide, or do you mean long? If not, how long are they? The going rule of thumb is 10 gallons of water for every inch of shell (without the curve). 60 gallons does not seem like enough room for 5 sliders. Do they show any signs of aggression? Building a pond sounds like a wonderful idea! (I have dreams for the future, but the Ohio weather is going to put a damper on things during the winter months)

[5sliders]

Correction- I meant 10 in. long. And yes your absolutely right . The tank is most likely too small. Our 5 RES have grown together in this same tank since first becoming adult turtles. And yes, our 1 male is aggressive towards 2 of the biggest females. He'll bite their backsides between the hind legs & the tail and hang on in a harrassment sort of way. This is done usually when they're in the basking pool. When all 5 are in the glass tank he performs a mating ritual with his front claws towards another smaller female. And that female will respond by biting the males claws. But it doesn't seem to harm him! Because he keeps coming back for more!