tortoise biting and getting on ones back

hingeback

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Can you do something like this on your patio? 1 for each turtle...

I used a cement mixing tub 2ft x 3ft as a temporary pond for a turtle. See how it's full of water but the rocks stack up allowing the turtle to get out of the water? I kept a hardware cloth lid of top of this tub but removed it for the photos.

View attachment 159499

View attachment 159500

See how the turtle can get all the way out of the water?

View attachment 159501

View attachment 159502

I kept this in partial shade and partial sun...full sun could cook the little guy but they need access to it at times so they can sun themselves and warm up :cool:

Here is another turtle, kept inside an aquarium but still has the rock to climb out on (log, driftwood would work too)

View attachment 159503

Hope this helps you get started on a better set up for your turtles!
Nice enclosure, is he/she an albino?
 

Levi the Leopard

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Here's another idea...
I fostered some turtles and used a gray storage tote as the enclosure.
Full of water, terra cotta pot and plants to hide in and branches coming out of the water for them to get out on. I used the locking lid that came with it but after I cut out the center and put hardware cloth there (sorry no photos of that part)

491 017.jpg

These are some inexpensive, easy solutions to help you get a better set up, fast!

You can always improve on them later
 

Anyfoot

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Can you do something like this on your patio? 1 for each turtle...

I used a cement mixing tub 2ft x 3ft as a temporary pond for a turtle. See how it's full of water but the rocks stack up allowing the turtle to get out of the water? I kept a hardware cloth lid of top of this tub but removed it for the photos.

View attachment 159499

View attachment 159500

See how the turtle can get all the way out of the water?

View attachment 159501

View attachment 159502

I kept this in partial shade and partial sun...full sun could cook the little guy but they need access to it at times so they can sun themselves and warm up :cool:

Here is another turtle, kept inside an aquarium but still has the rock to climb out on (log, driftwood would work too)

View attachment 159503

Hope this helps you get started on a better set up for your turtles!
What sort of temperatures do these guys need? Can they live in a climate that would try and freeze over during winter?
Your set ups look really good. This is something I could get into at a later date, but is there any water turtles that can survive our UK climate?
 

hingeback

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What sort of temperatures do these guys need? Can they live in a climate that would try and freeze over during winter?
Your set ups look really good. This is something I could get into at a later date, but is there any water turtles that can survive our UK climate?
I am not sure, but I had red eared sliders last time. I didn't know about the care so just kept them in a tiny enclosure, like the plastic shoebox size but they died in a few weeks:(
 

Levi the Leopard

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Nice enclosure, is he/she an albino?
An albino res female. She was donated by a TFO member to be a classroom turtle. I maintained aquariums in special needs classrooms for 7 years when I was in SoCal.
I only took her home when I was trying to put some extra weight on her and trying to figure out the "vision thing"..
 

WithLisa

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What sort of temperatures do these guys need? Can they live in a climate that would try and freeze over during winter?
Your set ups look really good. This is something I could get into at a later date, but is there any water turtles that can survive our UK climate?
Especially red eared sliders can survive without problems, they are considered an invasive species. Here in middle europe I've never seen a pond without them.
 

Anyfoot

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Especially red eared sliders can survive without problems, they are considered an invasive species. Here in middle europe I've never seen a pond without them.
Really, so I could have a pond in the garden and as long as it was deep enough they would servive the winter. I assume they hibernate on the bottom.
 

hingeback

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Really, so I could have a pond in the garden and as long as it was deep enough they would servive the winter. I assume they hibernate on the bottom.
How much do they cost in England?
 

WithLisa

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I don't know about England, but in Austria/Germany you can get them for free. They are often bought as cute babys, but after a few years they are too big for a small aquarium, that's why they are often (illegally) released into the wild.
 

Anyfoot

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I don't know about England, but in Austria/Germany you can get them for free. They are often bought as cute babys, but after a few years they are too big for a small aquarium, that's why they are often (illegally) released into the wild.
I once caught one whilst fishing in a large pond when I was about 14yrs old. Wound my rod in and what looked like a big clump of weed turned out to be some sort of aquatic turtle. It was about 6 to 8" SCL. To my knowledge it was I'm that pond for about 3 yrs.
 

GeorgeUK

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What sort of temperatures do these guys need? Can they live in a climate that would try and freeze over during winter?
Your set ups look really good. This is something I could get into at a later date, but is there any water turtles that can survive our UK climate?
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1450784490.320550.jpg

I'm based in the UK & although I haven't personally kept turtles, there is a small group of them that live in the carp fishing lake I fish on. They have been there for years. I can only assume as it's next to a busy road, someone released them. The owner of the lake has no idea how they got there. They can often be seen basking on a log. Sometimes one will push another off :)
We have had some pretty rough winters, and I've seen the lake frozen over & covered in snow. I think these guys are designed to be survivors.
Someone recorded them & put the video on YouTube. Here is a screenshot :)
 

Anyfoot

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View attachment 159514

I'm based in the UK & although I haven't personally kept turtles, there is a small group of them that live in the carp fishing lake I fish on. They have been there for years. I can only assume as it's next to a busy road, someone released them. The owner of the lake has no idea how they got there. They can often be seen basking on a log. Sometimes one will push another off :)
We have had some pretty rough winters, and I've seen the lake frozen over & covered in snow. I think these guys are designed to be survivors.
Someone recorded them & put the video on YouTube. Here is a screenshot :)
Do you know what species they are?
 

GeorgeUK

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Ah, Blackpool area, I have family at Fleetwood. Think it's safe to say they have it cold on the west coast. Lol.
Definitely & considering temperatures have dropped to -15C (5F) in previous years, it's a wonder how they survived.
 
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