Red-eared sliders? Share your experiences here!

[Wayfarin]

Hello, folks!

As I have mentioned on other forum posts, we currently have a middle-aged/senior red-eared slider named Teresa.
She's been living indoors for most of her life.
I've been hoping to upgrade her enclosure to provide her with a large outdoor pond enclosure.
We currently have the space for a pond enclosure at least 5' w x 10' l x 18" d in our front yard.

We've kept her for over 12 years now, but we've never had experience keeping turtles outdoors.

In fact, we've never even had a real pond before. Only a purple plastic pool that we filled with frogs and bugs that we saved from our swimming pool. We put Teresa in it when we first purchased her, but not for very long.

Is there anything I should know about keeping red-eared sliders in backyard ponds?
I'm quite well acquainted with red-eared sliders as it is, but I figure that when we move Teresa into the new pond, that she will display behaviors that we have never before seen in the aquarium.

For example, what do red-eared sliders eat when they are in outdoor ponds? Do they destroy plants or devour all the fish?
And if so, what fish and plants would be good for a turtle pond? I suspect that they would eat water lilies and lotuses?
(I'm going to post a separate thread about the topic of plants and turtles.)

Also, do they dirty the water the same way they do in aquariums? I would like to think that keeping them in ponds would at least minimize the need to clean or change the water.
Keep in mind that I doubt that we will keep multiple red-eared sliders, if that makes a difference. They don't prefer to have company, do they?

Has anyone had any experiences with red-eared sliders, whether good or bad, while keeping them in outdoor pond enclosures?
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! God bless!

 

[GBBUDD]

I can only speak for the wild turtles that have visited my pond. And they ripped at the algae that was growing on the rocks. They also devoured the meal worms and the freeze dried foods they sell for turtles at Petco. They came and went as they wished as i had nothing to keep them in. i could have made it a little harder for them but i didn't build the pond to keep nature in. I KNOW THEY WILL try to nip at smaller fish if given the chance but that was before i started feeding them.

 

[JRS]

They may wander off if not fenced in. Generally social but in a small enclosure there may be aggression issues if they cannot escape. I have had to separate my adults for this reason: 1 per tank or tub. I would not add another for company.

Diet mostly herbivorous as adults but will eat carrion and anything else catchable. With a pond they are usually not fast enough to catch fish/frogs unless they get lucky. Mine will eat lilies, water lettuce and other floaters as well as cattails and hair algae. Never had lotus so not sure on those. They do not like Bacopa monneri. They will eat fish food and pellets and I feed them that when outside in their tubs since they will eat most plants, which is how I found out about the cattails.

They will produce as much waste or more as their metabolism increases but the larger volume of water and natural processes should reduce the need for cleaning compared to being inside. They love to bask so the natural sun will be a great benefit for them as well as some shade if possible. 18" deep may be a bit shallow for protection for turtles and fish if you have raccoons in the area, which will be drawn to the water. Something to consider for outside for pets outside.

 

[Wayfarin]

They may wander off if not fenced in. Generally social but in a small enclosure there may be aggression issues if they cannot escape. I have had to separate my adults for this reason: 1 per tank or tub. I would not add another for company.

Diet mostly herbivorous as adults but will eat carrion and anything else catchable. With a pond they are usually not fast enough to catch fish/frogs unless they get lucky. Mine will eat lilies, water lettuce and other floaters as well as cattails and hair algae. Never had lotus so not sure on those. They do not like Bacopa monneri. They will eat fish food and pellets and I feed them that when outside in their tubs since they will eat most plants, which is how I found out about the cattails.

They will produce as much waste or more as their metabolism increases but the larger volume of water and natural processes should reduce the need for cleaning compared to being inside. They love to bask so the natural sun will be a great benefit for them as well as some shade if possible. 18" deep may be a bit shallow for protection for turtles and fish if you have raccoons in the area, which will be drawn to the water. Something to consider for outside for pets outside.

It's good to know that she will be content alone. I don't think that we will be getting any more red-eared sliders.
It's also good to know that fish and frogs can usually escape them.

If the pond was entirely dependent on biological filtration (plants and bacteria) would the water need to be changed often?

(Yes, we have raccoons in our town and also red foxes. Maybe we could dig the pond down to at least 24-30" if possible.)

 

[Jhn]

Just for me I’ve never changed the water in my ponds with a lot of turtles in it, but granted my ponds are the size of a swimming pool

 

[Wayfarin]

Just for me I’ve never changed the water in my ponds with a lot of turtles in it, but granted my ponds are the size of a swimming pool

But maybe we could accomplish the same equilibrium, since Teresa will probably end up being our only turtle?
Although I suppose that the waste from the fish, frogs, and even insects and decaying matter will also add up.
As I've mentioned on another thread, mature bullfrogs may also become residents of the pond.

At least turtles and frogs don't really contribute to oxygen depletion, though, since they mostly breathe air and actually disturb the surface quite a bit. So that would leave small fish and tadpoles mostly responsible for that.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

But maybe we could accomplish the same equilibrium, since Teresa will probably end up being our only turtle?
Although I suppose that the waste from the fish, frogs, and even insects and decaying matter will also add up.
As I've mentioned on another thread, mature bullfrogs may also become residents of the pond.

At least turtles and frogs don't really contribute to oxygen depletion, though, since they mostly breathe air and actually disturb the surface quite a bit. So that would leave small fish and tadpoles mostly responsible for that.

We have two turtles in our Koi pond….. Sheldon (Yellow Bellied Slider) was rescued off a busy highway by my wife four years ago…..Rosie a Red Eared Slider was rescued from my granddaughter’s aquarium, two years ago. We have no fences, seems to love koi food and other than having to net them out of the swimming pool no trouble at all. Sheldon disappeared last year for about two weeks….. but decided to come back….. I am of the opinion that if they want to stay that’s fine if they don’t that’s fine too, they are no trouble at all and do not affect the pond or any Koi as far as I can see……. I used the same text in another turtle post…. I know our situation works for us and probably not for others but it works for us….. I basically think if they want to stay, no problem….. if they want to leave…. No problem…. I do enjoy watching them

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

We have two turtles in our Koi pond….. Sheldon (Yellow Bellied Slider) was rescued off a busy highway by my wife four years ago…..Rosie a Red Eared Slider was rescued from my granddaughter’s aquarium, two years ago. We have no fences, seems to love koi food and other than having to net them out of the swimming pool no trouble at all. Sheldon disappeared last year for about two weeks….. but decided to come back….. I am of the opinion that if they want to stay that’s fine if they don’t that’s fine too, they are no trouble at all and do not affect the pond or any Koi as far as I can see……. I used the same text in another turtle post…. I know our situation works for us and probably not for others but it works for us….. I basically think if they want to stay, no problem….. if they want to leave…. No problem…. I do enjoy watching them

 

[Wayfarin]

We have two turtles in our Koi pond….. Sheldon (Yellow Bellied Slider) was rescued off a busy highway by my wife four years ago…..Rosie a Red Eared Slider was rescued from my granddaughter’s aquarium, two years ago. We have no fences, seems to love koi food and other than having to net them out of the swimming pool no trouble at all. Sheldon disappeared last year for about two weeks….. but decided to come back….. I am of the opinion that if they want to stay that’s fine if they don’t that’s fine too, they are no trouble at all and do not affect the pond or any Koi as far as I can see……. I used the same text in another turtle post…. I know our situation works for us and probably not for others but it works for us….. I basically think if they want to stay, no problem….. if they want to leave…. No problem…. I do enjoy watching them

So, what you're saying is that they don't cause issues with water pollution? That's good to know!
That certainly isn't the case when they are kept in indoor aquariums. They need the water changed at least weekly even with a filter.

 

[Jimmy Gibson]

So, what you're saying is that they don't cause issues with water pollution? That's good to know!
That certainly isn't the case when they are kept in indoor aquariums. They need the water changed at least weekly even with a filter.

You also have to remember I have 3000 gallons and very good filtration with lots and lots of plants. My theory is what goes in comes out….. considering how much I see them eat compared to the koi, the waste is probably equal to one small koi. I have 8 koi between 4 to probably 8 lbs and if you feed them what they really want….. they produce a lot more waste than a couple of turtles

 

[Wayfarin]

You also have to remember I have 3000 gallons and very good filtration with lots and lots of plants. My theory is what goes in comes out….. considering how much I see them eat compared to the koi, the waste is probably equal to one small koi. I have 8 koi between 4 to probably 8 lbs and if you feed them what they really want….. they produce a lot more waste than a couple of turtles

So, how would a 500-gallon pond cope with a single mature turtle, frogs, and minnows?