Hi all. Here's my story: - about 4 years ago my parents thought it soul be a great idea to buy my boys some turtles. The got two young red-eared sliders and a very small 20 gallon tank. I had no idea how to care for them and how big they would get. well 4 years later, we still have them in a very much too small tank (50 gallons) but they are healthy. It breaks my heart every time I see what little room they have. I've asked everyone I know for ideas, including the local pet stores but have had no luck. We really love them but do not have a place for a larger home for them. Fortunately, I just met a gentleman who will be building a large pond in his yard this spring and would love to adopt our turtles! He's local, so the boys will be able to visit often and bring them some goldfish.
Now on to the question - I would like to know if anyone could advise us in making the transition from indoors to outdoors as smooth as possible for them. We plan on waiting until May or June to bring them outside so it's warm enough. We are in NJ. He said he would bring them indoors in the winter - is that necessary? Do they hibernate or can he use a heater? I know nothing about ponds and not much more about outdoor turtles. My female has laid eggs in the tank 2x already so we also need to think about a nesting area. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.
Donna

You will want to get them used to being outside. You might put them out in a tank or container outside for a while the days before you move them. If you're not going to watch them, be sure it's predator-proof. It would be better to watch them. Just to get used to the temperatures, you could simply open the windows in the room with the turtles the days before moving them. It may be easier for the new person who is taking them to acclimate them to the new temperature. Luckily, they should adapt to new water quality much easier than fish. I assume the pond they are going to is fenced? If not, the turtles will walk away. If the pond is deep enough, they can overwinter outside but it's safer to bring them in. If left outside, they would lay on the bottom for a few months like the fish, just waiting. The pond would have to have an opening in the ice and some sort of aeration in place so the turtles wouldn't suffocate under the ice.

My page on turtle ponds is at
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/turpond.htm

Good luck!