Pond for snappers

[kearth]

I am going to look at a house this weekend. It has a large pond. It is traingular shapes, about 100 ft long and 40-50 wide... I hope to remember the camera and get some pics this weekend.

I would like to stock it with some turtles and my first thought was the common snapper.

What kind of mods would I have to do to keep them there?

Also working on a metal list of what other turts and or fish would work

 

[Noto]

You will need a fence, and it will need to be a) sturdy, b) buried at least a foot, and c) have no easily climbable areas. It would probably work best if it is a visual barrier as well; turtles are often less likely to try to pass through a barrier if they cannot see past it.

You could keep some fish in the pond with the snapper as long as you don't mind losing some. Standard pond fish like bluegill, bullheads, even goldfish would probably be able to survive and reproduce with occasional losses.

You won't see your snapper very often.

Basking turtles- sliders, cooters, redbellies, maps, paints, diamondback terrapins, some of the hardier batagurines, softshells, etc. would be more visible. They are also more fish compatible, except for the softies.

Local species from local populations would be ideal (if legal in your area). Escapees are likely, especially if you have some covert reproduction.

 

[kevinfleming21]

Well...all I can say is + 1 to the above LOL. Also might want to consider some sort of filtration as all the turts and fish will greatly increase waste in the pond.

 

[kearth]

You will need a fence, and it will need to be a) sturdy, b) buried at least a foot, and c) have no easily climbable areas. It would probably work best if it is a visual barrier as well; turtles are often less likely to try to pass through a barrier if they cannot see past it.

You could keep some fish in the pond with the snapper as long as you don't mind losing some. Standard pond fish like bluegill, bullheads, even goldfish would probably be able to survive and reproduce with occasional losses.

You won't see your snapper very often.

Basking turtles- sliders, cooters, redbellies, maps, paints, diamondback terrapins, some of the hardier batagurines, softshells, etc. would be more visible. They are also more fish compatible, except for the softies.

Local species from local populations would be ideal (if legal in your area). Escapees are likely, especially if you have some covert reproduction.

I had definately planned on checking out what local species would work in the pond as well. I am also planned on finding out if it is legal to catch and relocate some local turts to my pond, which I think would be my best choice depending on the legality.

I am not sure how I would be able to add any kind of filtration to it being where it is located but I do plan on upping the amount of plants in and around it to help as much as possible.

 

[Olly613]

The above two posters are very much right IME.

Additionally, I just wanted to pass on some warning: Snappers honestly will not let anything else live in there. Now matter how much you stock it with fish, they likely won't survive to a point of being sustainable. I've kept snappers, and seen them go through 6-10 fish the size of their head and still be asking for more. They're pigs.

That being said, they are pigs with a lot of character. I would highly recommend them, but again you really aren't going to be able to have any other fish, turtles, or frogs (or even slightly smaller snappers in some rare cases - I've witnessed cannibalism in the species). Furthermore, as has been mentioned, they will rarely if ever be visible, and the filtration requirements to keep them inside are unbelievable (though with an outdoor pond, I don't think you'll have to worry or filter much at all unless you want the water to remain crystal).

Personally, I would try to keep it relatively snapper-free. I think you'll get more enjoyment out of the pond as a whole. Stock it with lots of fish and basking turtles, and then just sit outside and watch your macrocosm of an ecosystem sustain itself .

Just out of curiosity, do you live in a region where you would have to worry about winterizing it? and if so how to plan on doing so?

One last thing, if you want a neat experience for turtles: this May/June most turtles will be migrating to the opposite side of most roads (haha) and laying eggs. If you happen across any turtles laying, dig the eggs up within about 24 hours and place them carefully in a container with some sand (keep them right side up, though the embryos usually haven't attached to the egg wall yet, hence the 24 hour spec). After laying them all out in a bed of sand, loosely cover them with some more sand about an inch or two deep. leave that container in a safe but monitored place until around early august, and you should have a bunch of baby turtles to stock you pond with. And honestly, that's a very rewarding experience. That's where I got my knowledge with snappers (and others) because we live on a water front and they lay in our driveway all the time. But through the year, the dirt in the driveway gets really compact and there's no way the babies would be able to dig out. So we dig up the eggs, hatch them, and release them a few days later. I know it may no be great for the environment, what with the 100% success rate of them hatching and getting to water, but we feel bad about having a driveway essentially on THEIR breeding grounds.

Anyway, i digress, best of luck kearth.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

What makes you think the pond doesn't already have snappers in it?


Just a note but basically all turtles have homing instincts so you'll have to make the pond escape proof because most adult turtles will try their best to find the way back to their home pond.

 

[kearth]

What makes you think the pond doesn't already have snappers in it?


Just a note but basically all turtles have homing instincts so you'll have to make the pond escape proof because most adult turtles will try their best to find the way back to their home pond.

Good point

I have no idea actually. I will get to see it up close and personal on saturday so hopefully I will see some kind of life.

I have no plans on winterizing the pond at all, which is why I am thinking native will be better for me.

If I found eggs and moved them closer to my pond to hatch... would they stay? I dont want to add anything that if it escapes it will hurt the local wildlife....

 

[Olly613]

Good point
I have no plans on winterizing the pond at all, which is why I am thinking native will be better for me.

If I found eggs and moved them closer to my pond to hatch... would they stay? I dont want to add anything that if it escapes it will hurt the local wildlife....

Local species are definately the way to go then. Though given depths and whether the pond is lined/has dirt in the bottom/etc. could limit you choices come winter. If the pond freezes all the way to the bottom and the residents cannot borrow/hide it could be bad for what's in there. Maybe someone with more outdoor pond experience can be more specific for you. There are certainly options (could be as simple as putting in 6" of dirt in the bottom if it's lined? for example), I would just recommend you look into it given what type of climate you have there. It's definitely worth it, ponds are so interesting (Only have a tiny one right now, if you get the place that pond sounds amazing though).

It's quite possible they would stay actually. I don't want to say for certain, but they may end up viewing your pond as "home" then. Like if you re-bury the eggs a couple feet from the edge. Only one way to find out right? Haha. And in terms of harming local wildlife (if you mean by overpopulation?), I figure if you're doing this with only a nest or two, and they're already indigenous species, there's very little harm that could be done. Like when I released those babies, albeit most of them wouldn't have lasted more than a couple months before being eaten by something because nature tends to be capable of balancing indigenous specie population quite proficiently. If the baby turtles spike one year, chances are a few extra herons may move to the area that season, for example. My only reason for doing it is to give them the chance that we would have otherwise taken from them. Ultimately, on such a small scale (if you not introducing foreign animals), you really should't harm the populations. Especially when you consider the fact that before we (humans) populated these areas so highly, many fewer turtles were eaten, run over, etc.. So unless you're going to start a turtle farm for raise & release, IMHO you won't do a bit of damage at all. Besides, if you have a 1-2 foot barrier up and you make the pond nice most of them will probably stick around (it's certainly big enough for a small population). If you're concerned, again put up the barrier, you can always make it by piling up tight fitting stone to make it look nice too.

Good luck!

 

[kearth]

well I got to see the pond over the weeekend.

It is triangle chaped and about 150 ft at the widest. Roughly about 1/4 of an acres. The it surrounded by cat tails and is stream fed. The deepest part if roughly 6-8 ft deep.

It is currently stocked with bass and channel cats, will that pose any problems with local turtles?

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Bass will eat baby turtles but hey, that's the food chain, right? If you have some shallow, weedy areas that the bass will have trouble swimming in and getting to, then you'll have a nice little turtle nursery.