Urgent Care :: It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

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Post Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 11:12 pm   It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

Hi guys, it's been a long time since I've haunted this board. All of the knowledge you gave me helped so much! My precious turtle passed yesterday of unknown causes at just 9 1/2 years old. I suspect she had something wrong since birth, if you recall I got her at a street fair as a tiny turtle. She only grew to maybe 6 or 7" in shell length, she really was never able to shed scutes no matter how much warmth or lighting she got (she shed maybe 5-6 over her life?), she never laid any eggs, and she didn't eat all that much. She was still my beloved pet.

What should I do with her body? It feels wrong to throw her away. I can bury her in our backyard but the ground is cold and it could take many weeks or months for it to thaw. What are my options? Should I put her body in a plastic bag and in the freezer until a proper burial can be done? Is there a way to preserve the shell? I was reading online and many of the options involve boiling or composting or putting her in acid and I just cannot bring myself to do those things. I guess I could take her to a local taxidermist to be preserved or vet to be cremated. I'm not thinking straight about this.

Second question, do I get another turtle? Her care was easy but we now have two small children. I have not seen tiny turtles for sale for very long (thank goodness!) so it would have to be through a breeder, pet shop, or expo. Are there any turtles that work well as multiples? Her tank always seemed too big for her (90 gallons plus over the tank basking area).

Thank you. Mourning her has taken a lot out of me.
JAX
- - -
Baby Boy - January 9th, 2011! (3 months old)
1 RES - 7" long - Umi (3.5 years old)
1 black lab/hound mix - Josie (1.5 year old)
2 cats - Mysti and Molly (6.5 years old)
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TheComputerGremlin
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Post Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 9:45 am   Re: It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

Rest in peace.
hello there
HelperTurtle123
 
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Post Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 1:35 pm   Re: It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

I'm very sorry to hear that you lost her. I think the easiest way to preserve the shell is to bury her, then dig her up later, I'm not sure if I could deal with the other methods. I would probably do a simple burial and leave one of her toys with her. Bagging her and placing in the freezer would allow you to wait, but I'm not sure if you want to.

Very few turtles work well together, but maybe look to rescue one. A single male RES would be smaller and you won't have to deal with nesting issues. A couple of painteds will stay small than RES.

Very sorry for your loss. R.I.P. Umi.
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steve
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Post Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 1:47 pm   Re: It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

Turns out it is going to warm up this weekend so my husband is willing to dig her a spot. We have a lovely butterfly bush on our property so I think it'll be a nice place for her. I'm torn on digging back up the shell, I may just leave it rest. The benefit of the butterfly bush is it is outside of our dogs' electric fence so they should leave her alone.

My kids are eager to get another turtle (they are 6 and 2 and adore animals!) though I am torn. I might do some research, maybe we can find a species that lives well with fish or other aquatic animals. We live in Maryland now so with the fairly mild winters, I have considered an outdoor pond too (though I know that comes with a lot of considerations, like keeping the turtle in and the predators out). We do have a good rescue in the area, that's a good idea! I will connect with them, I hope to rescue some box turtles at some point too.

In case anyone else has their turtle pass away, it is very difficult to find a vet to handle them. I had to call almost a dozen before I found one that could even give me advice for how to make sure she wasn't breathing, and even then they said to try holding a mirror or a piece of glass up to her nose or I could bring her in the next morning for them to check with a stethoscope. Very dismayed at the lack of education. :(
JAX
- - -
Baby Boy - January 9th, 2011! (3 months old)
1 RES - 7" long - Umi (3.5 years old)
1 black lab/hound mix - Josie (1.5 year old)
2 cats - Mysti and Molly (6.5 years old)
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TheComputerGremlin
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Joined: Jan 12, 2008
Location: Washington, DC

Post Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 2:03 pm   Re: It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

As far as I know, necrosis sets in pretty quickly. I think placing her in the freezer would also be the humane way to make sure she was gone.

I don't think I would dig her up either. If you can make a deep/large pond, that would be great idea!
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:22 am   Re: It's been a long time ... My turtle just passed.

TheComputerGremlin wrote:Hi guys, it's been a long time since I've haunted this board. All of the knowledge you gave me helped so much! My precious turtle passed yesterday of unknown causes at just 9 1/2 years old. I suspect she had something wrong since birth, if you recall I got her at a street fair as a tiny turtle. She only grew to maybe 6 or 7" in shell length, she really was never able to shed scutes no matter how much warmth or lighting she got (she shed maybe 5-6 over her life?), she never laid any eggs, and she didn't eat all that much. She was still my beloved pet.

What should I do with her body? It feels wrong to throw her away. I can bury her in our backyard but the ground is cold and it could take many weeks or months for it to thaw. What are my options? Should I put her body in a plastic bag and in the freezer until a proper burial can be done? Is there a way to preserve the shell? I was reading online and many of the options involve boiling or composting or putting her in acid and I just cannot bring myself to do those things. I guess I could take her to a local taxidermist to be preserved or vet to be cremated. I'm not thinking straight about this.

Second question, do I get another turtle? Her care was easy but we now have two small children. I have not seen tiny turtles for sale for very long (thank goodness!) so it would have to be through a breeder, pet shop, or expo. Are there any turtles that work well as multiples? Her tank always seemed too big for her (90 gallons plus over the tank basking area).

Thank you. Mourning her has taken a lot out of me.



I'm sorry for your lost. I have lost my baby Flipper too and I still feel sad. I buried him the next day hoping that he would be still alive but nothing :(
Batool22
 
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