Outdoor Red Ear Slider Pond in Arctic North Dakota

[Seejai]

I just wanted to know if anyone thought I could have my 2 red eared sliders (they are about 5 years old and hearty) live outside year round in very cold North Dakota. There are many RES's in North Dakota, so it's not impossible, but they are moderately invasive, which is why I adopted them a couple months ago since an acquaintance was going release her pets in the wild.

They have been living inside and it is apparent that both I and the turtles would be happier if they were in a pond outside.

I just bought a house and am moving in this month, and have been thinking about this a lot. I may try to rehome them if I can't keep them outside safely, because they are a little more work than I anticipated (imagine that..).

So, with the very cold climate in North Dakota, would I be able to construct a pond this spring for them that they could live in? Or at least for the summer, and maybe they could be brought inside in the winter. I'm not sure they'd be able to brumate in a yard pond properly..

 

[weldorNate]

You can put a pond in ur yard for them pretty easily but I think it only work for the summer months because I am sure it be to cold for them especially after being inside and warm

 

[mike taylor]

You will have to heat the pond . It can work .

 

[ascott]

Also, if they have been indoors mostly...their skills at escaping aerial attacks is well, likely none...along with attacks from the edge of the pond from clawed hungry critters---so don't forget the security around the pond as well....

 

[johnsonnboswell]

You'd need to fence the pond area securely so they can't escape. You'd want to give them an area to get out of the water, of course, but if they are free to travel they might take off. The pond would need to be deep enough to go below the frost line.

How are you keeping them now? Perhaps we can make suggestions to help you make the indoor experience less onerous for you and them, whether or not you build an outdoor pond.

 

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Pond depth needs to be below frost line, and area around pond just needs to be fenced. Very simple and thats all you need to keep them outside year around.

 

[weldorNate]

Here in North Dakota u have to dig pretty deep to get below the frost line. Cause last year when I was out ice fishing on Devils lake the ice was over 4 ft thick

 

[ascott]

Here in North Dakota u have to dig pretty deep to get below the frost line. Cause last year when I was out ice fishing on Devils lake the ice was over 4 ft thick

Well then...sounds like indoor pond/space is the ticket....lol....

 

[Moozillion]

Here in North Dakota u have to dig pretty deep to get below the frost line. Cause last year when I was out ice fishing on Devils lake the ice was over 4 ft thick

OH.MY.GAWD....That is unimaginable to me!!!!!! I'll take our Louisiana heat and humidity over that kind of extreme cold ANY day!!!

 

[weldorNate]

The turtles that live in North Dakota bury themselves in mud and hibernate. frost line usually lies around 6 ft cause they normally bury water pipes at about 6 to 8ft deep

 

[Seejai]

The turtles that live in North Dakota bury themselves in mud and hibernate. frost line usually lies around 6 ft cause they normally bury water pipes at about 6 to 8ft deep

Yeah, I'm wondering if I want to dig an entire crater in my yard so they can get to unfrozen mud... It would be pretty cool though.

 

[Seejai]

You'd need to fence the pond area securely so they can't escape. You'd want to give them an area to get out of the water, of course, but if they are free to travel they might take off. The pond would need to be deep enough to go below the frost line.

How are you keeping them now? Perhaps we can make suggestions to help you make the indoor experience less onerous for you and them, whether or not you build an outdoor pond.

I have a plastic, clear packing thing (34" x 18") that I keep them in because they were in a fish aquarium that was deep and not wide. I got a bigger filter for them and they have a basking spot and the lights. They smell really bad though, and it's a time consuming workout to change the water. I took out the gravel and rocks so the filter would work better, but they are still stinky. Maybe I need to feed them out of their box thing?

When I move to my house they may live in the basement where I can't smell them... I'm in a small apartment now.

 

[Seejai]

The turtles that live in North Dakota bury themselves in mud and hibernate. frost line usually lies around 6 ft cause they normally bury water pipes at about 6 to 8ft deep

Yeah, that's a lot of digging... And that's what I was worried about. Maybe I could do a shallow summer pond

 

[Seejai]

Also, if they have been indoors mostly...their skills at escaping aerial attacks is well, likely none...along with attacks from the edge of the pond from clawed hungry critters---so don't forget the security around the pond as well....

I might be too worried about them if they are outside haha

 

[Diamondbacks4Life]

I learned turtles quickly regain their instincts of fear and survival once you put them outside in a pond. Also dont need mud for turtle to hibernate. They just need not get frozen and they do fine.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

I have a plastic, clear packing thing (34" x 18") that I keep them in because they were in a fish aquarium that was deep and not wide. I got a bigger filter for them and they have a basking spot and the lights. They smell really bad though, and it's a time consuming workout to change the water. I took out the gravel and rocks so the filter would work better, but they are still stinky. Maybe I need to feed them out of their box thing?

When I move to my house they may live in the basement where I can't smell them... I'm in a small apartment now.

Feeding them in a separate container & waiting for them to excrete would help. Removing the rocks & gravel was a good move.

You've got less than 17 gallons in there. That's not really adequate for one turtle, let alone two. I don't know what your filter is rated for, but it can't keep up, either. Does it have filter medium you can clean? Doing that more often will help.

Check into stock tanks or preformed ponds. They're easy to store when not in use. Or get a humongous aquarium.

Allowing them to live in stinky water isn't healthy for them.

You can get the set up to work so you don't have to. It won't smell then. Also, if you site it in the sun, algae will provide some biological filtration. But mostly the problem is volume of water & size of filter.