Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm in Oregon and have a large 6' W x 12 ' L x 4 ' deep pond. Turles can crawl out and bury in the dirt too. It is covered so no animals can get into it. I am looking for the hardiest outdoor turtles that can make it through the once in a while freezing winters - 40s temps here in the winter. It's in the 100s sometimes in the summer.
What do you suggest ? Western Painted ? Spotted ?
I appreciate any thoughts
Thanks
MB

I would say a Red Ear Slider (RES). They get pretty big so I would guess they are hardy. I don't really know much about spotteds though. Just be sure whatever turtle you choose, that there is enough substrate for them to hibernate under. It has to get below the freezing table to survive the winter. You could always bring the turtle indoors during the winter months if you wanted.

RES do not do good outside in the winter. here in PA it gets down to 0* and i have lost red ear sliders and my pond is 4 1/2 ft deep. i now have an indoor pond for them in the winter. silders are native to the south, not the north. get a native turtle to ur area. sliders have to taken in. -40 is way to cold.
nathan

Painted Turtles!

More than one person has seen them swimming under pond ice in late winter. They are extremely hardy.

(My Russian Tortoise would not hibernate even at temperatures in the high 40s, with the window open! I finally had to put him in the refrigerator, at 41 degrees, to get him to hibernate.)

In the Portland area is Smith & Bybee Lakes. They have the hightest concentration of Painted Turtles west of the Cascades Mountains - about 300 of them. Painted Turtles are also common at the Wildlife Refuge in Vancouver.

Western Ponds are also native, but more timid and not as hardy. Want a rough, tough guy sure to survive *mild* Oregon winters? Get a Painted.