Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am planning on putting in an outdoor pond for my turtles, and had a few questions for those of you who keep their turtles similarly. It will be housing red eared sliders, painted turtles, a map turtle, and possibly a few other similar species in the future. I live in Southern New Jersey, and the winter temperatures here regularly drop below freezing. I was wondering how you overwinter your turtles in such a situation. Do you add something to the bottom for them to dig in to? Is there a minimum depth that the water should be for them to overwinter? Any help would be appreciated.

Hello Jason:
You need to find out where the turtles you have are from. If they are from the area you live they should be fine but if they're from Southern Turtle Farms they may never be able to be kept outdoors over the winter. While the Red Ears can certainly weather the winter You don't state what Painteds you have and I doubt whether the Map Turtle can handle the harsh winter.
Usually leaf piles are good for them to burrow into. The chemical breakdown of the rotting leaves provides some heat to help insulate.
If your animals are store bought they are probably raised on southern farms and would have a hard time surviving a harsh winter. You may have to bring them in during the winter and enjoy them in the pond in spring, summer, and early fall.
Hope this helps.
Have a Great Day!!!

First Jason you have to expect a few losses regardless of what you do. You are setting them up in an outdoor environment and subjecting them the elements.

Next you have got to get cold hardy species. Most painteds are tough but easterns are your best bet. Sliders are tough as nails and will generally survive. Maps again you have to check the relative cold hardiness of the species.

Dig your pond at least 3 feet deep. You want to get below the frost line.

Leaf litter at the bottom is okay and they will dig in but you must provide either a bubble system or an ice chaser (heating unit that comes on when the water dips below 40 degrees to keep an opening in the surface of the pond. If your pond freezes over and the leaves rot the gases that are emitted can poison turtles and fish if they cannot escape the pond.

Also you want to be sure to stop feeding when temps get below 60 degrees. You don't want food to sit in the gut of the animals undigested. It could prove fatal.

You can also allow them to hibernate in a pond that is deep enough and clean bottomed. The benefit to this is that it you have some visibility and can monitor them over the Winter.

In any case you should also be ready to pull them in at a moment's notice as something could turn in your pond and create problems. Fungus can grow if conditions are right and grow right on the body of hibernating turtle. I have seen this condition eat out the eyes of turtles. The animals actually did recooperate but lost their eyes from the fungus.

So you see there are lots of things to think about before you consider leaving your animals out year round.

Steve