Habitat - Outdoor :: New pond, some q's

[turtle-yurtle]

I live in SC, native habitat for the RES. I have 130g pond, raised with wood around it, filled in with dirt/flowers. I have set up 2 basking spots, one in the shadier area, one in the sunnier area. Oh, and it's about 2 1/2' deep. The questions I have is what temp should the water/air be when I move him outside and how do I go about keeping him in the pond area so that he won't fall off the raised area and hurt himself/wander off? I am assuming some kind of fencing should be used, but what kind is best?
On a side note, this was a rescue turtle who was almost 4 yrs old and still only about 3 1/2" long when I got him a year and 1/2 ago. He's been in a 29g tank inside and has only grown about an inch and 1/2, maybe 2". How large should I expect him to grow over-all, since his growth was apparently stunted for so long? Also, when are they considered adults? Is it based on age, size, or a combination of the 2?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!!

[steve]

The air & water temps should probably be around the mid 70's. The fencing would be up to you, but considering the size of the pond, I would make sure that it could be secured to prevent any predators.

There's no way to tell what size he will grow, but as long as his diet is consistent and healthy, I wouldn't worry about the size.

[trudykurz]

Congrats for rescuing a turtle! Can you post pics of your pond? I keep mine indoors but I have an outdoor kiddie pool that I put Barnie in when it gets warm and I have it enclosed with a wire dog kennel. Make sure your raised area is smooth so the turtle doesn't get hurt. I keep a raised area for mine in the middle and have cement blocks covered with pond liner.
Check the stickies for your other questions. From what I've read females can get up to 12 inches long. My turt was a rescue also, and she's 7 inches, so I don't think she'll get much larger. What are you feeding your turt?