Urgent Care :: Help!!!

[65 Rambler Lady]

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:31 pm HELP!!!!

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I also have been wondering about our turtle as we have not seen him for about a week now. (will be a week Sunday)

He lives in our pond and like Nancy's, unless he can fly, he can't get out as the pond has straight sides. Our pond is 1100 gals and is about 3 and a half feet deep.

Anyway, I digress - we have put food out and he has not been up to eat. Usually we see his head at least sticking up thru the plants.

I have been so worried about him that I made my hubby take apart all of the structure in the pond on the off chance he may have gotten 'stuck' somewhere, but he was no where to be found. Now to be fair, Tuttle is pretty quick when he wants to be and if he was disturbed (have seen the koi make him move), he's fast and if you aren't looking, you'd miss him.

He was coming up on his log very regularly and we enjoyed him immensely just watching him take in all his surroundings. However, we haven't seen him and to say that I am sick would be an understatement of the greatest magnitude.

There are plenty of plants down there and at water level he could munch on and some of them do show signs of chewing - however as anyone with koi knows, they like to 'chew' as well (actually it's more like rip!)

We have had some pretty bad storms here, but nothing has fallen in the pond and the only change we made to his habitat the day before his 'disappearance' was to add an additional aerator to compensate for the summer O2 depletion. Temps were hot - mid 90's. water temp is currently at 72 degrees and we finally have cooled off into the mid 70's. The water temp has not gone above 75 as we always 'add' water for the fish to play in each night with the garden hose aerator.

Pond ph is right where it should be, water is clear, bacteria level is good, nitrates/nitrates are good........

Someone please tell me a hawk or a canada goose didn't swoop and get him. Even our neighbors are on the lookout for him. Our yard is fenced and about the most ferocious animal we have is a black squirrel who throws things at us from the tree when we sit outside. We have a dog who stays out most of the day and scares away most of the birds (except robins and sparrows know he isn't quick enough), so I doubt if any other predator could have gotten him except from above. I hate to even think of that happening.

Should I just keep putting food out there for him? I am so sad. I want him to come back or at least show his head so I know he's ok. I really don't want to think of anything happening to him.

Thanks in advance for any advice .... or condolences.... ;-(

[TheComputerGremlin]

Can you use a net and try to scoop him out? I would at least take a large net to the very bottom of the pond (if there is a little dead turtle body, you would scoop it out ... I don't like saying it, but it would provide closure).

Unless you can try to track him down, predators could have easily scooped him away (though I would imagine you would have koi missing too, have any of them gone missing?). Honestly, if it were me, I'd be sifting through the pond looking for him!

[Take-One]

The dog might have scooped him up or if he was basking a bird could easily picked him up.

[65 Rambler Lady]

Well, we have dredged the pond except for one small spot and nothing - no corpse. I have looked in the yard in case a bird (would have had to be a rather large one as he was about 8" across his back) scooped him up. I just hate to think of that.

His log and basking stones are in the middle of the pond so the dogs can't get at him and even if they could, they wouldn't. 2 big sissies and 2 small ones. Plus as I said, the sides of the pond are about 2 feet above the deck and the pond is deep..........

It's hard to explain, but our dogs respect all our pets - our parkeet got out once and they didn't chase him or nothing...just watched us as we tried (and finally) caught him. I know they have instincts and such, but our dummies instincts are only for the can opener and a ready hand to be petted or a hu-mom bed!

Plus I would think if he were dead, the fish going in and out of the structure would have lodged him loose by now....

Hubby thinks he is there and just chillin'.....we didn't see him for about a week right after we got him either....but I just don't think he's there for some reason.

Like I said earlier, we have done what we could as far as taking EVERYTHING (except his log) out of the pond......

I am so sad.......I do thank all of you for answering me tho. I just would rest easier if I knew where the lil guy was at and that he wasn't somewhere suffering.

On edit: No koi are missing - all accounted for

[marisa]

Are you sure he couldn't have gotten out somehow? Has the water level risen appreciably with those storms? Could he somehow have climbed on the plants?

[65 Rambler Lady]

No, as we had just put some dirt around the pond and there are no tracks in it.

Even if he did get out, where would he go and how long can he survive out of the water? Sorry to be so dumb....

As far as the water level goes, there is still a ledge that overhangs the pond and he can't climb over it. The pond plants are away from the sides as well as we thought we had 'tuttle' proofed it so there was nothing close to the sides.....

Again, I am just sick. Thanks for your reply.

[TheComputerGremlin]

No, as we had just put some dirt around the pond and there are no tracks in it.

I doubt a RES would leave tracks, at least none that would be obvious. They have such little feet ...

Even if he did get out, where would he go and how long can he survive out of the water? Sorry to be so dumb....

If he did get out, he would likely be gotten by a predator, hide somewhere (under plants?), look for another water source, or simply wander off. Lots of people show up on the board because they found a RES walking down their suburban street. They can survive for around a month, give or take weather, out of water.

As far as the water level goes, there is still a ledge that overhangs the pond and he can't climb over it. The pond plants are away from the sides as well as we thought we had 'tuttle' proofed it so there was nothing close to the sides.....

Again, I am just sick. Thanks for your reply.

Never underestimate their climbing skills. That being said, is there a way you can look in the log? If you cannot move it, is there a local plumber that has one of those roto-cams that they can look in there with? Can you post pics of your setup, maybe then we can give you an idea where an escape could have been made at?[/quote]

[steve]

A picture may help. If there is debris on the bottom of the pond, it may have helped conceal him. If it's hard for him to get out, how easy would it be for him to get back in?

[Take-One]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgtslzqssO8

Im just saying turtles are able to climb anything. From a fence to steps.