Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone here have outdoor setups for their spotteds? I would like to see some pics to get some ideas.

So lets see some pics!

ID love to show you my enclosure but it says my pics are too big. Im not sure how to correct that. I house 21 spotteds ni the enclosure. Last year was the first year I hibernated them all outside as I can not keep the clan inside anymore over winter. We had are harshest winter in years IN michigan and everyone of them survived. Each turtle is related as I started by purchasing a male and two females 16 yrs ago. If I can not figure out how to smaller my pics id be happy to sent them to your email address.

WOW, 21 spotteds! How deep ya keep there water out side? I live in Ma. and winters are pretty brutal here as well. Always nervous about keeping any of my turtles outside in the winter.

Dan, they do live outside in the wild Although, come to think of it, I'm sure spotteds in a few of those northern states should consider migration, or at least a warm hotel room.

I should think about the migration thing for winter myself. I would think in the winter(in the wild) that they probally burough down pretty deep in the muck of the swamps/marshes.Seeing most of them aren't all that deep,and the ice gets really thick around here (thank god for ice fishing augers).But as ya say Curtis, they are out there in the winters, so they adapt to it somehow.Still 21 spotteds!I'ld kiss away a bay of the garage and have a big'ole pond in there.Waiting to see some pics of some ponds myself to get some ideas.Gonna take on that project soon myself. Dan

Yea i live in western MIchigan along Lake MIchigan and this winter was the coldest in a long time. I have three ponds, One is only about 3ft by 2 ft and is about 12 inches mud and six inches of water. My other pond is about 10ft by 12 ft. The middle is about a foot of mud and three foot of water. There is alot of vegetation. I also have a 12 ft long stream that empties into that pond. The stream also has about six inches of mud in it. I have another pond that is 5 ft by 4 ft and is about three foot of mud and one foot of water. Lots of vegatation in there also. The enclosure is also shared by box turtles and wood turtles that I have had since I was a kid. Since I have had my box and wood turtles for over 25 years they are very tame. LIke I said I have alot of pictures but when I try to download them it says they are too big. Im not very computer savy and do not know how to fix the pictures to make them smaller. I can send them to an email address if you like.

tsmik2,

try going to this site www.imageshack.us and upload your pictures. Just check the box to have them automatically resized (for websites and emails). Then copy and paste the code for "direct link to image" and insert it between the "img" brackets explained for "images" in "Tools and Toys." Eazy peazy japaneazy...

you lost me at cut and pasting it between IMG brackets on tools and toys, where is tools and toys..on this site or the other site?

OK I hope this works
Link

Another pic
spotted pond

another pic
another pic

Wow, what gorgeous ponds! What a paradise for your spotteds! I hope my dinky little setup I have in mind is 1/4 as good looking as yours!

Ooo I know how cold it gets out there. My sister lives in Canton, Michigan.Was there last yr..she can keep it!.I think if ya send the pics to yaself in an e-mail it shrinks them down for ya. My e-mail is zzzdanz@yahoo.com..love to see some pics

Cancel that..Just woke up and didn't notice the pics rite in front of my face

Ok, just bought a stock tank today at my "local" feed store. Actually had to drive about 20 miles away b/c all the feed stores near me only had round tubs. Anyway, I bought a commercial 50 gallon oblong tub that measures 4 feet long by two feet wide by a foot deep; perfect for spotteds, in my opinion.

I then bought some pressure treated wood and built myself a three foot tall stand for the tub. So when the tub is on, it comes up to four feet tall and is perfect to just stand and look in it. Over the next week I'm going to set it up, get the filters running, and then start checking things like temperature of the water through the day, where the best place for even sun/shade is, etc. I'm pretty excited. OH, and I've been taking my spotted outside with me in the early morning in a rubbermaid container with water and rocks to get her used to the heat/outside.

Hey Curtis, that will be real nice for the spotted enclosure.I have a preformed pond (about 225gal.) my brother just gave me. I have an extra room downstairs (wife don't know yet) but I,m gonna frame off around the pond ,with land area all around, plants,and a 4ft 2-bulb lite fixure hang,n over it.I just need to figure out how to make a real nice looking waterfall to cover up my home made filter,which I have to finish plumbing.The framing part is easy for me (I build houses for a living)and my bros a plumber, it's just stumping me on the waterfall.What are you gonna do for a filter on your new tank?I was also thinking how long outside with a metal tub tilrust kicks in.Even galvinized will rust with time.Maybe dig the hole a little bigger than needed and run stone around the perimiter to have sort of a run of for water.Can't wait to see it all set up.

For filtration I think I'm going to use two submersible fluval filters to reduce flow since spotteds like more still water, and I may use the small Eheim canister filter I have on my tank currently. It doesn't produce much flow and it's good for running carbon.

Have you taken a look at pond or garden stores, or even like Home Depot or Lowe's for waterfall options? I've seen a lot of preformed kits and maybe you could get one that would retro-fit over your filter. What is your homemade filter setup?

Well my filter as of now is a cpl different size buckets and a pile of plumbing. I think I'm gonna go with a 30gal barrel with the pot scrubby things for media.A women in the pond section was telling me thats what she's used for over 20 yrs in all her DIY filters for her koi ponds.Using the bucket the water will come in from the bottom and out of the top, so instead of just looking at a return hose I figured while I'm at it go for a waterfall just for looks.And it's good filtration when alge builds up.

I assume you're going to use the nylon "scrubby things?" Make sure you're not using the metal ones. The nylon would be good media. We used plastic curlers when I worked for an aquarium company. Both work the same, but I think the benefit of the curlers is that you could shake/rinse them out more easily if they get gunked up. But the advantageous of the nylon scrubbers would probably be more surface area for benefical bacteria to grab ahold. Make sure to post some pics.

Yup, the nylon pan scrubby things.I've seen ppl use stainless ones, but nylon it is.Another thing I was thinking is maybe making 2 of the DIY filters using 5 gallon buckets, figure they'll be easier to hide, and probally just use a pet co or home depot waterfall then.I wish I knew some ppl in my area with ponds and filters to go look at and get some ideas.Still working on a filter system in my head to try to loop 3 55gal tanks together on 1 system.Using canisters now,but 1 big system for them all would be nice.