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Can a turtle live in a backyard pond?
Turtles can make an excellent addition to your pond, although they do need considerable care and are not suitable for children. The best type is aquatic, as they will rapidly acclimate themselves to the pond environment.
How deep should a pond be for turtles?
The average depth of the pond is 12 to 24 inches. Turtles and aquatic plantings do not tend to mix well. Turtles will eat and shred any waterlilies you plant. Marginal plants will tend to get crushed and trampled as well.
What is needed for a turtle pond?
Turtles do need sun for healthy shell growth but need shade just as much. In addition, direct sunlight on the pond over many hours of the day will cause algae growth and lower the water quality, which is essential to turtle health. The more turtles and the larger they get, the more space they will need in the pond.
Where do pond turtles go at night?
Turtles may wedge themselves into tight crevices in rock piles or submerged tree stumps for the night. Turtles may also use rock pilings, rip rap, dams and other man-made structures for sleeping.
How do I attract turtles to my pond?
Dig shallow coves with a shovel to create micro-environments that will shelter turtles in garden ponds. Use rocks of varying size to build piles with crevices. Lush vegetation in and around the pond is sure to attract turtles. Plants provide shade, shelter and food.
How much does it cost to build a turtle pond?
If a full pond isn’t for you, Splash Supply also offers Disappearing Waterfalls starting at $4,799, as well as professionally installed fountainscapes starting around $3,490 and turtle ponds starting at $3,299. If you want to go big – maybe 300-square-feet big – your costs would probably start around $27,000.
Will turtles rip pond liner?
Turtles have very strong legs and some have sharp claws, but if you are using a . 45 (or greater) EPDM liner, I can’t see where a turtle would harm the liner material. However.be sure there is an area where the turtle can easily enter and get out of the pond — some kind of ramp or beach area.
What size pond do turtles need?
The more turtles and the larger they get, the more space they will need. A pond of at least 80 square feet should be considered for five to 10 turtles, depending on their size, with one side deeper for easier drainage, if desired. Easy shoreline access on the deep side should also be provided.
Does a turtle pond need a filter?
A turtle pond needs powerful filtration, and a turtle’s prodigious pooping ability puts even a goldfish to shame. With a normal fish pond, you want the filter to turn over the water every two hours or so, but with a turtle pond you want to halve that so it turns it over every hour.
Can turtles and fish live in the same pond?
This is a tricky question because technically yes, they can live together but it may take some work on your part and the risk of losing your precious koi. While turtles and koi have their own food requirements, they have considerable overlap and neither the turtles nor the fish have complicated diets.
How deep does a pond need to be for a turtle to hibernate?
Outdoor Pond Winter Needs At least 18 to 24 inches of depth. The more water, the better. Because painted turtles hibernate at the bottom of ponds, you can’t have all the water in your pond freeze up. Some type of sand, substrate or organic substance at the bottom for your turtle to burrow in.
Can turtles live in a pond during winter?
Turtles that are used to living outdoors can survive the winter in your pond, just like koi and goldfish. How do they do it? Well, as one researcher so eloquently put it, they breathe through their butts. Yep.
How long does a pond turtle live?
A western pond turtle has an average lifespan of at least 50 years in its natural habitat. The western pond turtle life cycle from hatchling to death is quite long.
How far from a pond will a pond turtle travel?
MIGRATION: Studies show that western pond turtles can be found overwintering more than 1,500 feet from aquatic habitat, as well as migrating over half a mile.
What time of day do turtles come out?
Bottom Dwellers. Mud (Kinosternon sp.) and musk (Sternotherus odoratus) turtles can be active by day, but are most active after dark. Visitors to calm, shallow ponds can often observe the small turtles foraging on the bottom at night.
Will turtles eat your garden?
Turtles are common garden visitors where water is nearby, but they are not always pest creatures — they consume a variety of troublesome insects and generally do very little damage to gardens.
What do pond turtles do?
Behavior: These turtles are very shy and will dive into the water at the first sign of danger. For protection, they can quickly retract their head and legs into their hard shell. Western Pond turtles bask in groups on logs, fallen trees, and other objects near water (see photo below).
What can I feed a yard turtle?
Feeding your turtle Commercial turtle food: Turtles like turtle pellets and frozen or freeze-dried fish food. Protein: Feed turtles crickets or mealworms or feeder fish on occasion for variety. Vegetables: Three or four times a week, serve 1 to 2 teaspoons of dark, leafy greens such as kale, collards or mustard greens.
