Urgent Care :: i rescued a turt. help please.

[AnthonyGarcia]

the story: i just got home from work (11pm-7am) and i boarded on the wrong bus coz i was so sleepy. i managed to get off on a far away wet market and noticed a fish vendor that had this turt inside a netbag. i asked her if it was for sale and she said i could but it for 200pesos. she told me someone just left that turt somewhere and she was wondering if somebody would buy it. i bought it and brought it home just today. i was just about to sit in front of the pc when my mom asked me why is its right hind leg missing. tsk. when i looked there was really none. poor fella.

i figured this is a soft shelled turt, is it?



anyway, it's 5"" big and it's pretty agressive. i need help. i know i could do all the research about it, but i'm just too sleepy to do it right now. i just have some few questions to ask:

1] will it get along with my two RES stewie (2.5") and olle (3")?

2] i dunnoe if she's a male or he's a female.

3] can i take care of it the same way as i take care of ollie and stewie (like the same food, a basking place, etc.)?

4] i gave the turt some food, but he/she would not eat it. why?

i need help ASAP. i'm putting him/her inside ollie and stewie's old tank right now. still not eating the food.

[octpusgirl8]

Poor thing. It's some kind of soft shelled turtle, what kind i don't know. I do know that it will take different care/food than your RES. Try looking around on http://www.austinsturtlepage.com, they have a lot of good info on different kinds of turtles. Good luck!

[megcornell]

DO NOT put it in with your turtles.
It could have a disease that could infect your turtles or they could give it something.
Also, RES can be very aggressive, and since he's already injured he could become even more hurt.
You'll need a separate set up for it if you plan to keep it.
Since it is wild, you may want to look into suitable release sites. If the missing leg is all healed up, the turtle can obviously live without it so you should return him to the wild.

[marisa]

Do you have any zoos, animal parks that have reptiles or something similar where you are? If so, I'd contact them. If the turtle is injured, perhaps someone there could take him.

At any rate, he shouldn't be with your turtles in an established tank. If he's well enough, release him in a safe place.

[AnthonyGarcia]

i'm keeping the turt in another tank. i'm so busy with work, but i think i'll take a day off this thursday. i'll go out of town, somewhere down south. there are big rivers there. i'll release him there.

but up until right now, he's not eating anything. i gave him food, both commercial and raw... even bread... he's still not eating...

i hear they like to bury themselves under muddy waters... can i like put him in our backyard? it's rainy here and i could use my old baby tub to put some mud and water and keep him there till i release him this thursday... i think the tank floor is hurting him...

[industrial_girl_2000]

You are doing the right thing by releasing him/her into the wild. Soft shell turtles are extremely aggressive & require very special handling. They don't get along with other turtles, can grow to be about 18-20 inches long, and like a snapper turtle they have VERY long necks so you have to be careful not to get bitten when you handle them. The immense size of one of these guys can be very difficult to deal with, even for the most avid turtle-keepers.

And yes, they like to bury themselves in mud. They are a type of turtle that feels very vulnerable/exposed if they don't have a place to hide. They don't like to bask much either & will only do it occasionally for short periods of time. Having said that, it is good to have a place in their tank for them to bask if they want to do it. Since you are only keeping him for a short time, I wouldn't worry about the basking area though. He's probably so freaked out that he won't bask anyway. Just turn him loose when you can.

[AnthonyGarcia]

yea, i'm currently preparing my stuff to go down south. i'll have a short vacation there, and while i'm there, i'm gonna release him at some good river...

[AnthonyGarcia]

and thanks guys... i wouldn't have done any of this without your immediate help!!
^_^

[myrtle1123]

I know someone with a one legged turtle. yes one. It's name is stumpy becuase it has 3 stumps ut gets around fine and has lived for quite awhile now!