Rescued a turtle PLEASE HELP!

[Cinnyluver]

My neighbor called today and said he found a turtle in the Kayscreek. I was confused since no turtles, fish, or anything live in the creek. So I went to check it out and found a very scared, hungry, freezing turtle clinging to the banks. I think it must have been someones pet and they dumped it. Anyways, I caught it and brought it home since it obviously wouldn't survive in those conditions. Now I don't know what to do with it. My parents say I can't keep it. I e-mailed my science teacher who has 3 turtles that look like this to see if he could keep it with them. He hasn't responded yet. It's spring break so I don't know if he'll even check his school e-mail until next week. There's a wildlife rescue I could call, but the turtle's a pet...not a wild turtle so I don't know how much they could help. Right now it's in my garage in a little set up I made. It is about 1-2 inches full of water and has a corner with flat rocks under a heat lamp for it to sit on. Here's a pic.

It's really scared and keeps hissing and hiding at everything that moves. Please help! I have NO experience with turtles! What do I feed it? Is my set up okay for it for now? Also, its back is peeling a little. Is this normal?
Here are some pics of him. I think he's a red earned slider.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Red eared slider. Many people dump them ones they get large. They're hard to maintain as adults.(they need XXL size tanks, 120gallons+ or preferably a pond.

 

[mjones]

Yeah, its a slider. They live in the water so more water at least as high as the rocks would be fine. You could fill the tub up but you would have to have something for it to climb out on so that might be hard. They are great swimmers. I had one in high school. Bokkapooh is right about how big they get. Pet stores have cheap pellets you can feed them. There's no telling what the owner was feeding it if it was a pet. It could have been eating pellets or it could have been eating live goldfish. The peeling is probably fine. Its probably due to GROWTH. Im sure you could google Red Eared Slider and find some information. They are a very popular pet but are hard to keep as they grow. Good luck to you. Definitely get some of those pellets or try to feed him, but don't be surprised if it doesn't eat. A lot of turtles are private eaters. Two of my six are. I have box turtles though. Sliders don't tend to be that shy! Keep us updated! Good luck. It was nice of you to save it. Most people shoot them for the fun of it. Don't get me started on that rant!

 

[Butters Mom]

Had this kind of turtle as a kid. Fed it fish food pellets (beleve it or not!) & flys.
My Dad would swat them & feed them to the turtles..they loved it!
My Gort was over 7" when he died, so I can't say as to how hard they are to keep.
Had him for about 5 years & knew nothing about their care.
Good luck! & bless you for the rescue.

 

[Chicobo]

Agree with Mercedez and Melody, definitely a slider. Looks like it might be on the younger side? How big is that container? Female sliders can grow up to the size of a dinner plate, and as they age their colors get darker. I had a baby slider who eventually I had to re-home (not because of size, that wasn't an issue, but because he refused to eat greens and I was worried because his shell was pyramiding; I had rescued him myself and just didn't have the know-how to care for a turtle with significant problems). I still don't, so I can only offer basic advice. Sometimes peeling is normal, sometimes not. It can be caused by lack of heat, lack of calcium, too much protein, water cleanliness...the list goes on. Is the shell soft at all? Is there any smell? As long as the shell doesn't feel squishy, and the turtle doesn't smell strange (fishy or rotten) I think basic care for a week or until you can find a knowledgeable home will be at least enough not to cause more damage. My BABY slider got pellets, the occasional teeny guppy, and chopped up veggies. I never saw him eat the veggies, but the vet said that most sliders are carnivorous until adolescence, when they start becoming omnivorous. Not sure how old the little guy is, so I can't help with that.

Heat is good. So is a UVA/UVB bulb, something full-spectrum if you have it. He'll like that....

Good luck. Thanks for caring. This poor guy wouldn't have made it outside in the cold, most likely

 

[Cinnyluver]

I'm pretty sure he's older. He's about as big as a small plate. He does not have a squishy shell but he does have a smell. Maybe I'm just not used to turtle smells. It smells like my science teachers turtles though so I think it's normal. I will probably go get some turtle pellets today. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Chicobo]

Turtles do sort of smell like...turtles. But usually the smell is not right for a turtle, it's more of a, "gross, stinky" than a "huh...smells like a turtle" response.

Good luck!

 

[Cinnyluver]

Okay, so my dad is picking up turtle pellets right now. I wish I could keep him, but I don't have a pond or a large enough tank. I'll keep looking for a good home for him.

 

[WeasleyLover]

He's a beauty!

 

[Cinnyluver]

Thanks.

 

[TikiLola]

He's cute!
I love turtles, but never can have one as a pet.

Hope you can find him a home with someone knows how to take care of himThanks for helping him!

 

[Cinnyluver]

The turtle's not eating at all. I know he's just stressed, but I'm worried that he's going to starve himself. I filled his container up to a few inches from the top and added more rocks. He seems a lot happier with the deep water but still won't eat or move around much. We got him small aquatic turtle pellets. They're supposed to be for smaller turtles, but I figured they'd work for now. He's not interested at all. We also tried to give him some spinach which also did not work.

 

[TikiLola]

You might want to get him a few small feeder fish. the water will get gross pretty quickly, but maybe they'll entice him to eat.

 

[Cinnyluver]

Maybe he just feels contained. He's been scratching at the container walls, desperately trying to get out since I put him in there. I think he doesn't feel safe enough to eat. But it's the biggest thing I have besides a bath tub.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Most turtles wont eat for 1-2 weeks after arriving into a new tank. Some are also closet eaters.

 

[Chicobo]

Most turtles wont eat for 1-2 weeks after arriving into a new tank. Some are also closet eaters.

I agree with this. Ours NEVER let us see him eat...but if you hid behind the corner or where he couldn't see you, you might get a glimpse. I've heard from other sources that this is sort of a general herp thing. I wouldn't really know though...hah. My baby ball python always used to chow down like a champ, the guy who ultimately adopted him was amazed at what a good eater he was. And when I rescued a giant iguana, she ate like some kind of world-class champ herself. So....yeah. But they do try, a lot, to avoid letting you know they're eating. Is the food vanishing?

 

[Greycloud]

I just wanted to ask, why do you feel he was once a captive pet? Here in the east the crowd the streams, waterways and bay tributaries. I think this is just a wild red eared slider. It may be stressed being in captivity and that is why he is not eating. JMHO.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I just wanted to ask, why do you feel he was once a captive pet? Here in the east the crowd the streams, waterways and bay tributaries. I think this is just a wild red eared slider. It may be stressed being in captivity and that is why he is not eating. JMHO.

I don't think red eared are native to the west coast, may be wrong. I know they are natives of the south east, though.

 

[Bokkapooh]

www.en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-eared_slider

 

[itzmered]

I looked it up out of curiosity and although they are not thought to be native to UT it sounds like there is a fairly large population in the wild there that are successfully breeding and maintaining themselves. This guy could very well be wild and just came out of hibernation.

http://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/AIS_plans_2010/AIS_12tRed-earedSlider-Crystal-final.pdf