I'd recommend dialing back in the forum to the thread that ran last summer (2007), from June 22 to about July 13. The July 2 "LONG" response by jgSAV is spot on in my opinion.

While it is possible to keep a NAWT in a dry enclosure w/only a Rubbermaid dish container for soaking and have the animal survive and develop, this arrangement is unlike the normal environment that it is adapted for and could cause some level of stress. Given that your WT is still a juvenile I would be concerned that this stress might be manifested in abnormal development that could affect the quality of this turtles life for the remainder of its 50-70 plus year lifespan.

If an outdoor enclosure is out of the question, then an aquarium style habitat w/a dry island may be the best solution. David Kirkpatrick has a nice webpage that describes how to create a nice vegitated island for semi-aquatic turtles. The webpage is: http://www.unc.edu/~dtkirkpa/stuff/how2/tank2.html.

I've got two hatchling NAWTs coming to me in April. I have kept them previously when growing up in Virginia and spent a significant amount of time observing them in the wild. I am planning on partitioning off 1/3 of a 45 gallon long tank, (the partition will be about 3" high) and keeping the turtles in this for the first year. In addition to the proper full spectrum lighting including a UVB lamp, I am seriously thinking of insulating the island, (1" blue foam on the dry side of the partition) and adding an IceProbe (http://www.coolworksinc.com/iceprobe_aquarium_chiller.htm) 50watt chiller to the water side with the intent of cooling the water down to at least 55 degrees F. NAWT are truly a cool climate species. The ones that I saw in Virginia were never in the warm slow moving waters w/the pond turtles, but were always in shaded mountain streams along with trout, (no exaggeration!).

I'll go to a larger tank when they get bigger, but plan ultimately on keeping these guys outside in an enclosed area with a spring fed pond on my property. With luck the WT stork may visit.

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