Outdoor pond for turtle in Melbourne.

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Ryderthefrog

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Hi everyones,

I have recently started building an outdoor pond for a couple of turtles I'm hoping to get in the next month or two. I have done a lot of research and have designed and started the construction of the pond to what the turtles will need. The pond is roughly a metre wide and 1.5 metres long with a depth of about 50cm and a dock that leads out to an enclosed land area.

I have found everything I need to know about keeping turtles outdoors but one thing I'm having trouble finding is what happens in the colder nights and days of winter. I live in Melbourne and the winters can get quite cold here sometimes even getting to 0 degrees Celsius. What I want to know is will they be ok with the temperatures and what can I do if they won't be.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Ryder.
 
Do the species of turtle your getting naturally occur in Melbourne?
 
No turtles are native to Melbourne, but you can find introduced Eastern Long Necks and Murray River Turtles living in certain areas of the Yarra River.
If you're concerned about winter temps here(and I would be) it would probably be best to just bring them indoors through our cold as hell months(June-August).
 
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Pond also needs to be minimum 600mm deep or it will overheat in the summer
 
Eastern Long Necks aren't native to Melbourne? Really? Didn't know that, and none of the books or sites I've read say that. I thought they were since they're found all along the east coast and Victoria and South Australia. What's the closest areas to Melbourne they're native to? Seen them around here in Melton.

Wouldn't they be fine outdoors since they occur in other parts of Vic and survive just fine in Melbourne's waterways?

I've kept two Eastern Snake Necks in a pond for about 5 years now and they're fine. During winter they either hide in the water or bury under a log.
 
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Eastern Long Necks aren't native to Melbourne? Really? Didn't know that, and none of the books I've read say that. I thought they were since they're found all along the east coast and Victoria and South Australia. What's the closest areas to Melbourne they're native to? Seen them around here in Melton.

Wouldn't they be fine outdoors since they occur in other parts of Vic and survive just fine in Melbourne's waterways?

I've kept two Eastern Snake Necks in a pond for about 5 years now and they're fine. During winter they either hide in the water or bury under a log.

They're here like we've both mentioned, but they're not native to the Melbourne area of Victoria - they've been introduced and have adapted and survived.
Like you mention also, yours survive the winter by going to deeper water or borrowing into the nice insulated earth. The OP would need to cater for this in the design of the living environment for them to safely get through winter this far south.
 
Canberra has similar conditions to Melbourne if not colder! Long necks are native here and do fine outdoors. The only thing I'd suggest is put them outside in the warmer months so the can adapt as it gets colder.
 
They're here like we've both mentioned, but they're not native to the Melbourne area of Victoria - they've been introduced and have adapted and survived.
Like you mention also, yours survive the winter by going to deeper water or borrowing into the nice insulated earth. The OP would need to cater for this in the design of the living environment for them to safely get through winter this far south.

Disappointed to find out they're not native to Melbourne. Melbourne doesn't have a lot of reptiles and now I've discovered there's one less native one lol. Do you know when and why they were introduced? What's the closest they naturally occur to the Melbourne area? Is it a commonly known thing? All the books and sites I've read and they never mentioned it.
 
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