All Turtles Message Board

LINO · Guest Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 3

I HAVE A WOOD TURTLE THAT WAS RESCUED FROM THE BOTTOM OF A POOL, HE IS 5 INCHES LONG, WE HAVE HAD HIM SINCE HE WAS NEWLY HATCHED..I\'D LIKE TO RELEASE HIM INTO THE POND NEXT TO US...CAN HE SURVIVE? WHAT TIME OF YEAR...WE ARE IN NORTHWEST FL AND IT\'S STILL CHILLY HERE UNTIL SPRING, HOW MUCH TANK WATER DOES HE NEED, HE RARELY BASKS..THANKS FOR ANY IDEAS..
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LINO

Willie · Level 3 Joined: 16 Sep 2002 Posts: 383 Location: Wisconsin

I\'d say not to do it. If you want to get rid of him look around, there are many people who would love to either adopt him or buy him from you. Letting him back into the wild can wrek havoc in that pond, and eventually in the whole ecosystem.

It\'s my understanding that wild Desert Tortoise populations took a real hit from a disease that may\'ve been introduced by released captives.

In other words, let\'s say you have a bearded dragon or some other animal that could come in contact with your turtle. Let\'s say it has hook worms from another country & you don\'t know it. Being in the same house, sooner or later these get spread on objects to your wood turtle. The wood turtle looks okay. You release it in the Spring. It swims around & the foreign hookworms spread to a bunch of organisms & some other wood turtles. That winter when they hibernate, turns out these worms do more damage than native species. The hibernated turtles slowly hemorrhage to death.

Now, that\'s a wholey fictional speculative story, but it\'s the kind of thing we worry about with wild releases. Granted, that probably wouldn\'t happen. In fact, it\'s probably have no significant discernable impact on the ecosystem. But there\'s that risk we don\'t like to encourage.

I wouldn\'t do it. Wink

Willie
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2 Eastern Painted Turtles
2 Common Snapping Turtles
2 Texas Diamondback Terrapins
1 Razorback Musk
1 Texas Map Turtle

deesygirl · Moderator Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 1231

Aren\'t wood turtles an endangered species?
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http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 2:57 pm Post subject: Re: WOOD TURTLE

In some parts of the country it is, you would have to find out from your state as to its status.

LINO · Guest Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 3

LINO · Guest Joined: 01 Feb 2005 Posts: 3

Thank you for your response, I don\'t want to set him free unless it\'s best for him, I had know idea about the toll on the ecosystem! A local pet retailer said no probelm, just wait until he\'s more than 6 in. long. The turtle doesn\'t seem healthy, not eating not basking, I worry about him.
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LINO

dixieee · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:59 am Post subject: Re: WOOD TURTLE

if he\'s new then that\'s normal most turtles are shy at the beginning and don\'t act normally..
just keep an eye on him and give him some time he\'ll be ok..
keep us posted
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Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u