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Turtles/What type of turtle do I have?

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Expert: Mark Adkins - 4/5/2007


Question
8 months ago I found a baby turtle in the streets of New Jersey?  There is a river close by and I think it is a snapping turtle.  It has tripled in size and does not come up to bask in the light. Do you know what type of turtle it is and am I caring for it properly?  I would like more information on the turtle and its care.  Thank you.

Answer
Look at the gallery at the World of Turtles at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com to help determine what kind it is, and their care sheet section to learn about the proper care.

You can also try www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/turtles.pdf    to try to ID it.

Unfortunately, I cannot easily ID it unless you can post a photo for me.

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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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