without the fence, you're going to lose them. Start with the fence, THEN get the turtles. You'd be surprised how well they can climb, not to mention dig under. I keep turtles too, but so far have brought my painteds inside for the winter (they're still fairly young and I lost some prior over the winter, in the pond under the ice). When they get older, the plan is to let them be.I do not have a fence around it yet, but maybe in the future. Thanks for the input.
I'd say you're more at risk with a smaller pond as their choices are less than with a larger one. I found certain plants got eaten first, hence why I either shallow basket them (a basket made of screen with a mesh top that lays on the surface and lets the roots grow down but where the turtles can't get them) or put them on the margin and if they creep into the pond, the turtles can eat their hearts' content.@brokensword
i know you have painted turtles. Ive been reading up on them and they say they will eat your plants. Im only considering getting one turtle. Do you find that they really decimate your plants or just pick at them here and there? I know your pond is much bigger than mine will be, so the damage may be more profound in my setup haha.
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