MISSYMAGICGIRL wrote:

I am interested in getting a few baby turtles and want to know if any one else
has pond turtles and what set up do you have that let's the turtle get out of
the water, like a ramp?

Well, we had some turtle karma her a few weeks ago. We were trying to decide
the same thing you are - should we get a turtle? Would it eat the fish? Will
it walk away from the pond.

Anyway, my wife is a realtor and was holding an open house when a
prospective buyer walked in and asked, did she know there was a turtle in
the swimming pool? She said no and called the home owner who was at a loss
to explain the turtle (wasn't his). We fished it (I mean turtled ) it out of
the pool and put it in our pond.

Been there ever since and looks quite pleased with himself.

Some answers:

Would it eat the fish (apparently not - at least not the Koi and larger gold
fish)

Will it walk away from the pond - hasn't yet.

what set up do you have that let's the turtle get out of the water, like a
ramp - we have the trunk of a tree we cut down in our yard laying from shore
into the water. He's on it all the time - until you get close when he dives
for cover.

Some people use netting for cover to keep out herons etal. This probably
wouldn't be good for the turtle.

Hope that helps
Joe



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----

On 20 Feb 2003 01:08:00 GMT, (MISSYMAGICGIRL)
wrote:

I am interested in getting a few baby turtles and want to know if any one else
has pond turtles and what set up do you have that let's the turtle get out of
the water, like a ramp?

My dentist has a couple big sliders about 10x12 inches oval shape I
guess. (Only saw one through a window of his office.) It was laying
under the board he has angled from the edge to the bottom of his pond.
I noticed lawn timbers around the border of the flower beds containing
the goldfish and turtle pond and suppose that keeps them from wandering.

It was pretty much a one sided conversation and I didn't get to ask a
lot of questions, but he was nice enough to cover their eating fish.
It seems his turtles ignore healthy fish and love salamanders.

He said: "It is amazing to see a health fish get very close and wave a
tail in front of a turtle's face and not be harmed." OTOH He had one
older larger goldfish with a growth which he and a friend removed
surgically and treated. When they released the fish back into the pond
a turtle immediately chased it down and ate it.

His boys had a few salamanders in an aquarium at home and mom didn't
appreciate them at all since they kept escaping the aquarium. He
arrived as mom was ridding the home, in time to get the last one and
decided to put it in the pond at the office with the turtles. As soon
the salamander was placed in the water the turtle went into high gear
and with amazing speed gulped down the last salamander.

Regards,

Hal