thinking about turtles...is outdoors all year ok?

[liz thomas]

hello everyone!

im usually on the tortoise section of this forum, but after replanning our garden, my husband and i are interested in turtles. we have a pond already but want to create a much larger/interesting pond this summer.

i have been sitting at the computer for 2 hours reading A LOT of information, some of which is contradicting itself (same as tortoise info)

SO!!!
can we keep turtles outdoors all year?
how do they hibernate?
what kind of pond do we need eg depth and materials used such as a concrete or plastic liner?
what food do they eat?
what type would suit me best?
what pond filters/technical stuff do we need?

thats about it for now. i think if we do decide on keeping turtles they will be rehomers, as from what i gather adults that are used to living outdoors would be best for us.

we live in south derbyshire, near burton (to give you idea of location/temperatures.

thanks in advance for any help

[Geomyda]

Like Tortoises, different species require different climatic conditions, and whilst some species from North America, or Europe, can be acclimatised and kept in an outside pond environment, it is fair too say that most species do not thrive, in the UK climate.
The best species to acclimatise, in the UK, especially as far north as Derbyshire would in my opinion be European Pond Turtles. (Emys orbicularis).
However, it is very unlikely that this species will come up for re homing. A friend of mine, maintains a group of these in outdoor enclosure in North Yorkshire and has successfully bred them for a number of years.