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Reptiles & Amphibians

turtles

17 years ago

I am trying to create a turtle area/bog/small contained area and want to "rescue" some of the small turtles you see in the flea markets, the kind we used to get when I was young with the plastic container with the raised area in the middle with the fake palm tree on it! What kind are these and what do they require? Any info will be appreciated. thanks in advance.

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Comments (3)

Elly_NJ
17 years ago
Your intentions are good, but releasing non-native turtles in your backyard is not good for the ecosystem or native turtles. They carry diseases that can infect local amphibious populations. So it's not a good idea.
midwesternerr
17 years ago
Why not create a pomnd and just wait for the turtles to show up on theirown. You'll still be saving wildlife because habitat loss is the biggest problem facing the survival of nearly all species today.

Some things I learned through pond building:
CHlroamine does not dissipate after a few hours like Chlorine used to and many cities use it these days. You need something that undo that chlorine and ammonia bonds to make tap water safe. Amquel is what I have used. Not all water conditionors work. I used a cheapie from walmart and it did not work which resulted in the death of some amphibian larva :(

Amphibians are 10000000x more sensitive to chemicals than what the average person thinks. Old buckets that housed chemicals, containers that have been washed with soaps, etc should not be used in conjuction with any amphibian related activities such as temp housing, carrying their water, etc.

Buy the best pond line you can get. I purchased one of those rubber (not pvc) kind and it came with a lifetime warranty. It doesn't cost that much more, you can have it shipped to your door, and you'll know it will last a long time. Most hardware stores also have hard plastic ones, I haven't used those but they look sturdy.

DOn't create deathtraps. The other day I saw a pond the had rock ledges sticking over the side of the pond and several inches between the water and the rocks. There is no way most animals are getting out once they get in. I created my pond with slopping edges and even if the water level went down while I am away I made sure nothing would get trapped inside there. I also created a ledge of plants which I think looks nice and added some potted lillies and leaf litter to increased the amount of hiding places.

I also landscaped the area surrounding the pond leaving only one opening to approach the pond. Mowing around a pond blows all kinds of crap into it and gives the inhabitats ni shoreline habitat. The baby frogs come out in masses and need plants to hide in as do the adults who often sit along the side of the pond.
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I'd start several plants, maybe three different species (which you've selected as strong candidates), three of each type - nine total....if you have the room/facilities, of course! I also should have said ficus or banyan type trees instead of my vague "fig" mention in the previous posting. Garden fig isn't what I had in mind ;) If I understand the turtle-back properly, you'll basically be creating a shell "root over rock" style. In this case, however, you aren't encouraging the roots to cling to the rock. I wonder if you'd wrap the rock with plastic-wrap instead of wrapping the plastic around the roots and the rock? I'd imagine so. Either way, if you select vigorous species, you might have good results in a slim three to five years. Josh
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when bringing home a new plant.. consider it was probably grown in a greenhouse ... and any direct sun is not going to be a great thing .. though evening light is obviously not as bad as hot mid day sun .. and also understand that you have a lot of plant.. in what looks like a smallish pot .. so watering could be an issue .. especially in the sun ... when bringing home a new plant ... let it adjust.. harden off to new plant culture variables ... and then slowly move it where you want it... one stress at a time .. letting it get over the first.. before you start changing the next ... inside is probably the best bet .. unless you can hang it in full bright shade ... not that you have the latin name.. you can use it to search better information on how to grow it ken
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midwesternerr
17 years ago
Here is a link to some additional pond info that might be helpful, with more detail than above

Here is a link that might be useful: Pond Information

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