Equipment and Tools

When building an outdoor red eared slider pond, it is important to have the right tools before you get started. Building a simple pond shouldn’t take more than a few hours. To build an in-ground pond, you’ll need a shovel, a liner (for example a small plastic swimming pool or other plastic container), fencing, rocks or other materials for the turtle to leave the water and bask in and, of course, the water.

Getting Started

How long it takes to build a red eared slider pond depends on how much work you put into it and how elaborate you want it to be. The first step to begin building the pond is to shovel out enough dirt to allow your container to fit inside. This is the hardest and most labor-intensive part of the entire process. Make sure you don’t take any shortcuts. If you don’t dig deep enough, you may be giving your turtle the opportunity to escape once he’s in his new habitat. After you’ve hollowed out the hole, simply insert your liner. The easiest thing to use for this is a cheap child’s swimming pool. It is inexpensive, durable and watertight. You then need to stack enough material for the turtle to get out of the water. Surround it with fencing to prevent escape and voila!, you’re done.

Maintaining Your Red Eared Slider Pond

Maintaining your red eared slider pond will take some work. How much work depends upon how clean you want to keep the pond. The cleaner the better. You’ll always want to be on the lookout for things such as leaks or holes in your fencing. You should also be sure to remove any unwanted material from the pond that the turtle may eat, such as seeds or leaves. If you notice algae or fungi, you should remove your turtle and replace or treat the water. For the most part, the pond will take care of itself, but you’ll want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your pet turtle healthy and happy in his outdoor environment. There is also more great information available on the web for how to build a red eared slider pond.

Did you find those tips on pet turtle care useful? You can click on the lens above for more information. It will link you to my other free resources that will hopefully answer most of your questions on pet turtle care. The best, low cost guide available can be found at http://www.turtlecaresite.com. It is a comprehensive resource that will cover every aspect of raising your pet turtle. I highly recommend it.