All Turtles Message Board

Texmama · Guest Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 3

Hi, my kids and I found a turtle at the park, which is across the field from a canal/ bayou? where we have seen turtles before. This turtle was in the woodchips in the playground and had dug a little hole with it's back end above the hole. Getting ready to lay eggs? We quietly observed it for awhile and then it walked away from the playground, in the opposite direction of the water, towards the parking lot and street. When it neared the street I decided to carry it back near the water but the kids wanted me to take it home so I did. I found out it's a red eared slider. It is pretty big, at least 12 in long.

So, the big question.......... is it a bad idea to keep a turtle from the wild? So far we have kept it in the back yard which is completely enclosed by a privacy fence. I have a under the bed storage container filled with water. Yesterday we found her (?) wedged behind a tree up against the fence. Today she hid herself in a pile of leaves near the water container with just her head poking out and has stayed there all day. I have put lettuce in her "area" but it doesn't seem like she has eaten any. We have made sure to wash our hands after handling her- I just read that there is some danger of salmonella. Should we keep her or return her to the wild?

Texmama · Guest Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 3

Well I just found some info about this subject here on this site and see that while it is generally not recommended, some would disagree with that, if I am understanding what I skimmed over just now? I don't want to do anything cruel or inhumane. I suppose it was a rash decision to bring the turtle home. I guess I naively thought I could provide it a pretty natural habitat and have it around for the kids to observe. I can't imagine that we would be upsetting the natural population of these turtles in this area by removing this one, however. I have observed hundreds and hundreds in the waterways around here. But maybe that is also a naive statement. Anyway, someone give me some feedback.

deesygirl · Moderator Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 1226

Personally I don't recommend it. There are many reasons for this opinion of mine.
First of all, no matter what you do you can not provide a comparable housing situation for it. Turtles live in water that is constantly being refreshed. The best you could do is water changes daily, maybe filtration, but our water is full of chlorine which is not the best. Then there is a diet. Lettuce is not something a turtle should eat. There are no nutrients in it. A 12" turtle is an adult and is fairly set in her ways of survival. She knows where to find the duck weed when she wants to graze. She is also used to having space and the freedon to roam and swim.

I would recommend finding a young turtle from a pet store if you want to keep one as a pet. Something that has never known what it means to live a free life and won't be as upset and stressed by living in a small enviroment. Also adult turtles taken from the wild don't usually have as good of a survival rate as hatchlings or even juvies.
Adults are more set in their ways.

I guess personally I am just against taking wild animals out of their habitats. I always say "would you have picked it up if it was a wolf cub or a deer fawn" People assume it is ok to pick up turtles I just think it is a bad habit. There are others here who think differently and maybe they can explain their views to help you make your decision.
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http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

Diputs0729 · Level 1 Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 13

I totally agree, it should go back to the wild.

Turtles at Pet stores need a good home.

Texmama · Guest Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 3

Well, it returned itself to the wild. There was only one spot in our fence that looked at all big enough for her to get out and I guess she somehow made it. We live very near the waterway so I hope she makes it back there. My daughter was upset at the loss of her "pet" but the info here gave me some good responses for her as to why the turtle was better off going back to the wild. Thanks for your input.