How deep for a turtle pond?

Aquatic turtles are considered exotic and are therefore sought after by some pond owners. Occasionally, turtles can be seen in ponds at pet stores and zoos. In garden ponds they are rather rare. In principle, it is possible to breed aquatic turtles in a garden pond . However, there are some important things you need to consider and think carefully about whether you can provide the turtles with what they need. If you are planning a pond first, you can already consider the turtles' needs during the planning phase .

Preliminary considerations on the breeding of aquatic turtles

The turtles in the garden pond are exotic and beautiful to watch. Before buying garden turtles for the pond, you should familiarize yourself with the requirements of these animals. Animals can quickly fly away and cause great damage in nature or be run over by cars. Turtles are true escape artists. It is a criminal offense to release turtles into the wild. Turtles can also do mischief in your backyard pond, as fish and other animals as well as aquatic plants are welcome there.

Although turtles can live to a very old age, they are not immune to disease if not cared for in a manner appropriate to their species. As turtles love the sun, it is also important that they get enough sun. If you want to build a pond and keep turtles , you need to take this into consideration when choosing a location.

Turtle Pond Planning

If you want to create a turtle pond , there are a few things to consider when planning:

• The pond must be large enough and have a water volume of at least 300 liters per animal.
• There must be a surface of water about one meter deep , large enough to absorb temperature fluctuations.
• The shallow water zone, 20-40 centimeters deep , should be about two-thirds of the basin area.
• No abrupt transitions between the different zones
• Sunny location by the pond
• Climbing aids for turtles
• Anti-fugue fences.

If the deep water zone is large enough, the basin will not cool as quickly at night and during the cooler periods of the hot season. If the turtles feel threatened, they may retreat to the deep water area. In the shallow water zone, the water warms up quickly. The turtles like to stay there when the sun is shining. Therefore, the shallow water area should be as large as possible . If you already have a garden pond, it is often difficult to make it suitable for turtles. You have to wonder if that makes sense.

Turtle tanks also need different depths , and it is important that some parts of the tank are only a few centimeters deep , while other areas need to be impressively deep .

Climbing aids in a pool

If you already have a garden pond , you can install climbing aids there. The pond liner is too slippery. The turtles keep sliding on it. You can line the pool with coir mats, which give little climbers enough support. However, coir mats promote algae growth. You should replace coir mats from time to time. A thin layer of concrete, which you lay on the pool cover, can also be a climbing aid.

How to make your pond watertight

A fence is not enough, because turtles use it as a climbing frame. If the fence doesn't go far enough into the ground, turtles can dig through it. If possible, the fence should be made of glass or Plexiglas and mounted on a foundation that sinks at least 50 centimeters into the ground. The rule of thumb for height is that the fence should be at least twice as high as the length of the turtle's carapace. If you have several turtles, you should choose an even higher fence. Shell carriers like to use their conspecifics as scales from predators. You should then raise the fence by about a third.

For safety, you can write your phone number on the turtle shell with a non-toxic and waterproof pen. If the animals escape and are found, the person who found them can let you know. However, you must repeat the procedure from time to time, because the turtles lose their shell.

A sunny place

Tortoises are sun-hungry and take every opportunity to expose themselves to the sun on sunny days. A sunny location is therefore important for your pond. You need to make sure the shallow water area is big enough and gets enough sunlight. Also, you can place a few large stones or large areas with pebbles in the shoreline area where the turtles can bask in the sun.

Conclusion

You can keep aquatic turtles in your garden pond , but you must consider their needs. Only if you can create suitable conditions for aquatic turtles should you consider keeping them.

Aquatic turtles need a sunny location, a large enough area with deep water, and most importantly, a large area with shallow water. They should not be kept in a garden pond , but in an indoor aquarium for the winter.

Turtles are true escape artists, so you need to make sure the pond can't escape. If possible, do not keep fish in the garden pond, as they could be eaten by turtles. Aquatic plants are turtle food and need to be replanted regularly.