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I think my RES would love to go outside sometimes, but since they are still babies (as far as can tell...still small) I am not sure if it is a good idea.

Should they be of a certain age/size before taking outside for a short periods for fun? Supervised, of course.

if you're talking about a fenced in area with easy access to water then go for it. Supervised, of course, like you said. But I wouldn't just take them out and let them run in the grass or something. Being out of the water in strange surroundings is very stressful for your turt. Maybe if you had a kiddie pool with a ramp to get in and out it would be nice for them as long as they're safe from predators

also provide some shaded areas where they can stop, rest and hide.

Turtle_angel wrote:I think my RES would love to go outside sometimes, but since they are still babies (as far as can tell...still small) I am not sure if it is a good idea.

Should they be of a certain age/size before taking outside for a short periods for fun? Supervised, of course.

Our babies have been out in the San Diego sun since they were Babies! and they enjoy it so much! Like Steve said, make sure you have shade. They usually like basking on the rocks we set up in the kiddie pool and then jump back in water and go under the shade. (as shade, we use the trees; so part of the pool in sun, part in shade). Oh! And they LOOOOVE to poo in when they're out in the sun.

Do you use a plastic kiddy pool? I just got one in the shape of a turtle and they dont seem to want to swim but in their tank that is all they do! Am i doing something wrong It has a shaddy part out of the sun and the rest in the sun any suggestions, i like to be able to have them outside but any suggestions to make it more enjoyable for them

Do they have places they can go to hide or have privacy? If they don't want to swim, what do they do? If they're out in the open, they may feel vulnerable. If you want to leave them outside, make sure what you have them in is predator proof--attaching wiring over the top would keep animals/birds from getting at them.

I cant find my turtle. HE is outside. I was sitting right there. I think he went under the porch. Thats the only direction he could have gone and not be noticed. I have scoured the yard and cannot find him. I am thinking of setting up a couple pie pan type containers for him..but location is problem since im not sure where he is.
How long can RES go without being in the water?

Depends in part on what the weather's like. I'd set up the pans (one of them where you saw him last), also put out some smelly food--tuna and sardines packed in water, even catfood. Good luck.

did you find it?

No. =( I am completely stumped. I have no idea where he could have gone. He was little so he didnt get far fast. We put out water and foods, and played the turtle sound he responded to off of the computer. My neighbors think I'm off my rocker. I was walking around the yard staring at my feet calling his name for days.

Sorry to hear this. Little ones can be hard to spot. Is there a body of water like a pond, brook nearby?

Water was my biggest concern. The only water was what I put out. We had upper 90's for temps that week too. I would have had him back in doors before the day heated up. I went out with him every evening when it was cool. He was yards away from the tree and hostas. He would have really had to be on the move to get that far in that time. I would have found him under the hostas too. I'm thinkin'.. alien turtle abduction. <not really>

did you check under rocks or gravel/dirt? they sometimes bury themselves, even in areas you wouldn't imagine.

We checked everywhere we could. We walked the yard on our hands and knees. We rolled railroad ties that line an area. If he was someplace he could get back out of he would have shown back up, right? I would hope he would have better survival instincts than to burrow and die. Our ground is really dry and hard. He couldnt go down. The most he ever did was crawl under a leaf or mowed grass. He wasn't the best at hiding. We could always see at least half of him.

If weather conditions are really severe (hot and dry), it is possible he could have found a place to burrow for a while (I have to say, though, that a baby is a food morsel for a predator). I don't know what to say except keep putting out pans of water and smelly foods. I really wish you luck finding him. Could any neighbor have picked him up?