General Care Discussion :: Moving homes easy, turtle not so much

[jfm1973]

Our turtle, Lucy (~15 y.o.), has lived happily for about 10 years in a 4-foot deep, ~800 gallon pond in our Michigan backyard. She has survived the harshest of winters (thanks to ice hole via bubbler and heater) and has never lived in a tank.

We are moving to a new house that also has a pond, but it's barely 18 inches deep and probably 100 gallons. The previous owners used it just for a lily garden, I believe.

Obviously she can't spend a winter in there and we really don't want to leave her behind, so what are my options? If we let her spend the summers outside and haul her inside for the winter, what are the risks?

She usually vanishes to the bottom of the pond in October and re-surfaces in late April.

Any and all advice appreciated!

Thank you!

[steve]

Tough to say, I take it you're staying in Michigan? How big is your garden? Do you have a garage or basement to use for winter housing?

[jfm1973]

Yep - staying in Michigan. We have a basement where we could put a large aquarium. From what I've been reading on here, she'd require a monster 150-gallon or larger.

I know what's best for her is just staying-put, but explaining that to the kids is something else. . .

[steve]

Some people use stock tanks... a bit cheaper and easier to maintain. Perfect for garages and basements. Some people let their turtles hibernate in their unheated garages, but I've never tried that.

[Paul]

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/a ... ft-plastic

625 gallon stock tank