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Turtles/What kind of turtle do I have?!
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found a turtle today walking along the road. It is fairly big, dark in color with red spots on the shell, face and legs. It looks like it has webbed back feet and non-webbed front feet with claws. Red eyes and very active. Though it hasn't snapped at me, everyone is telling me it may be a snapping turtle. Please help! I just didn't want the big guy to ran over and now that my kids have seen it they want to keep him. What should I do?
Knowing the part of the country you are in would help with the identification, but I am thinking it is an Eastern Box Turtle (http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_of_turtles/Eastern_Box_Turtles_-_Terrapen...)
Now, there are a few things to understand...
1. In many states, most wild turtles are protected by law to one degree or another. Box Turtles are VERY protected in most of their ranges.
2. Wild caught turtles tend to make terrible pets- parasites, stresses, diet changes, etc. usually mean they do not do well and often pass away after a few months.
3. I would apply the 'Weekend Pet' rule- find a pet, keep it a few days in decent condition, release it as close to where you found it as is possible and safe.
I know your heart was in the right place, but you really did not 'find' this turtle, you basically kidnapped it from its real life and are holding it captive. The stresses you would feel in this situation are similar to what it is feeling.
If you see a similar situation in the future, the better option is to just move the turtle along away from the road a bit- taking photos if possible.
A good overall site for further research would be http://www.austinsturtlepage.com
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Thank you so very much. I went to serveral web sights to look at pictures and it seems you are right on about the kind of turtle I found. I probably will return it to were I picked it up from, I don't want to be a "Turtle Napper!" This big guy needs to be back in his own habitat. Thanks again for your quick response and your help, God bless you! | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Mark Adkins
Expertise
My specialty is tortoises, especially Red-foot Tortoises. I will try to help with any tortoise-related question I can. I will also help with general questions about things like behavior of wild turtles, etc. You can also try my website at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com
PLEASE- No water or box turtle questions. If you have a question about Box Turtles, Red-ear Sliders, Painted Turtles, or other turtles, please try a different expert or http://www.turtleforum.com. It is free and very helpful.
I am not a vet or a breeder, herpetologist, etc. I'm just a guy who likes tortoises. I reserve the right to send you to a website or forum if they have a better answer than I can offer rather than doing long cut-and-pastes, etc. I also will not second guess a vet or recommend home surgery or self-prescribing prescription meds.
Experience
Have kept tortoises on and off since 1965.
Currently keep a herd of 4 'Cherry-head' Red-foot Tortoises.
Have written extensively on this subject.
Education/Credentials
Associates Degree in Applied Science,
Graduate- Tortoise Trust Course in Advanced Chelonian Husbandry
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