Habitat - Outdoor :: Winter worries...pond heater?

[spaceapple]

The small YBS that I gave to my grandparents this summer lives in a 100 gallon (I think) fishpond in their backyard. Now that it's getting chillier outside I have some questions about what they should do in the winter. When I got them the turtle I thought that it would be no problem for me to just keep it with mine during the winter. But that was before I knew about aggression issues; and since my two are getting along I don't want risk adding a third turtle to the mix.

I know that they should not let the turtle hibernate outside (the pond is too small for that anyway). We live in west Tennessee (Jackson), so it's very near the natural habitat for an RES and won't get super-cold in the winter. Sometimes the pond ices over, but there is a waterfall that keeps the water oxygenated and keeps it from freezing over entirely. There are fish that live in the pond all winter. I was wondering if the turtle could make it all right with the addition of a pond heater, or something along those lines. If so, would he come up to bask in the cold? It probably wouldn't be much trouble for my grandparents to put a heat lamp at the edge of the pond to encourage him.

Thanks in advance for your advice, I definitely need it!

[marisa]

This is a very small pond. How deep is it? What kind of substrate does it have?

Since the turtle is small (how small?), I'd get a 50-gallon Rubbermaid storage container as a temporary home and bring him inside for the winter.

[spaceapple]

Going by memory, I would say it's about 2 feet deep. It does not have any substrate. It's because of its small size that I thought a heater might be efficient for it. Destin (the turtle) is only about 1.5 inches. Are small turtles more susceptible to cold temperatures than adults?

[steve]

I'd say smaller and captive turtles are more susceptible to cold temperatures. I think a temporary in-door home would be the best solution.

[spaceapple]

Do you think that in the future once the turtle gets bigger it will be able to stay out during winter?

[steve]

It would have to be in a pond much larger than 100 gallons. But if it is captive, and very sociable to people, then I would bring it in.

[SpotsMama]

You could keep him in a rubbermaid tub or stock tank inside in the winter if you don't have a second aquarium. I think winters in Tennessee are really cold, aren't they? It would be difficult for him to survive outside in a manmade pond even as a grown turtle. I'm in Texas, which is warmer, and wouldn't leave Spot outside in his 500 gallon pond, even with a heater. Couldn't risk it.

[spaceapple]

Ok, thanks for the advice! He's not really very sociable, but I think I could fix that since he's still quite small. When should I start bringing him in? It's still in the upper 70's during the day here, and usually 50's at night. He's either in for an hour's drive to come up and live with me, or my mom's aquarium is getting a turtle revamp. She's not very attached to her two lonely tetras...

[SpotsMama]

I'll bring Spot in when the water temp drops to 70 and/or we have a cold snap that lowers night time temps into the 50's. With luck he can stay outside until mid to late October. I think for awhile I'll bring him in to spend the night in his aquarium when the nights or cool, then back out to the pond during the day for awhile to help him transition back to an indoor life. He finds having to come back in after living outside like a wild turtle to be traumatic - maybe easing him into it will help.

[marisa]

Smaller turtles are more susceptible to cool temps, especially if they're not used to them (and most captive turtles aren't). You may find him to grow more sociable if he's indoors with you and gets more attention. If you are thinking of eventual hibernation, he needs to be bigger and you need to have a better pond.

[spaceapple]

Ok, in case anyone was still wondering, we've decided that Destin can be kept in my mom's aquarium. Seems like that will be easiest for everyone; and the only thing I'll have to buy is a mini-UVB bulb. Although SpotsMama's suggestion about gradually introducing him to his winter home sounds like a great idea, it will simply not be possible. He's going to have to make the move cold turkey! I'll let you know how it goes this weekend...

[marisa]

I'm sure he'll do fine without a gradual introduction.

What's a mini UVB bulb? Remember he needs both a heat source and and UVB light. A basking area temp in the range of 88-90F is good.

[spaceapple]

I was referring to the compact flourescent variety (Exoterra, specifically, the kind I use with my own turtles). I am pretty sure it will fit in the aquarium hood she already has. I'll have to check to see how much heat her normal aquarium bulb puts out to see whether or not I'll have to buy a different wattage. Thanks for the temp reminder!