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Hey y'all...

Sorry if this isn't "urgent care", but it didn't seem to fit any of the other categories either.

Just found this little hatchling wandering the hallway of my studio.

I'm not a stranger to turtle care; I've been the proud mommy of a RES for about 5 years now. I adopted my RES when she was already the requisite 4" long, so hatchling care is a little unfamiliar to me. This little guy (or girl) doesn't look to be a RES, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I don't even know how it ended up at our studio... there's no water nearby. This little hatchling is smaller than a quarter. It seems a little lethargic to me until we put it down, then it scurries under the little patch of grass we gave it... is that hatchling behavior? Is it cold? Hungry? scared?

What to do? I would imagine tossing the hatchling in with my RES would be a bad idea. Do I try and nurse it back to health and then release it to the wild? Does it even need nursing?

Yellow bellies and the occasional RES live in ditches and ponds all throughout the area (Wilmington, NC). This little critter looks to be something else...?



Thanks...

Update: transferred the hatchling to a tupperware bin when we got home. Put dirt on one side and water on the other. No sooner did the dirt hit the box and the little critter burrowed itself in. swam in the water a bit, then burrowed back in the mud. So it no longer seems lethargic at least. Still wondering on the best care. I put a few of my RES's reptomin sticks in the water but it wasn't interested. No heat lamp or water filtration at the moment, since I didn't want to cook the little guy. Suggestions appreciated.

Maybe a Bog turtle? http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/world_ ... index.html

May I use these pictures on another forum that is more familiar with other species and see if they can identfy for you?

Absolutely! Thanks.

Alright, they got back to me.

Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum

or Eastern Mud turtle

Very similar too: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-mismud.htm

Cute little guy. Thinking about keeping him/her?

Yep, Eastern Mud Turtle like stated. Lol Linus if that was a bog turtle id have a heart attack.

Diamondbacks4Life wrote:Yep, Eastern Mud Turtle like stated. Lol Linus if that was a bog turtle id have a heart attack.

Yea, the orange threw me off.

What a find! How cute!!