Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Greetings from Florida

[alisonk]

Hi there...

I'm not really sure what to do...my son and I found a baby red ear slider in front of our church in a big field (no where near a pond or water), so we picked him/her up and brought it home. It's about 1 1/2 inches long. I have been feeding him thawed frozen brine shrimp and blood worms (we also keep a betta fish), and I got some baby turtle pellets from petsmart (although he seems to not like them, he has yet to eat one.) I just have him in a shoe box size plastic tub, and have been changing the water daily. And putting a big leaf in there for him to hide under. I have some gravel for him to come out of the water, which he did today, so I put him out in the sun in our lanai for a while.

We really want to keep him....is this a bad thing? I read that RES are not native to Florida, and releasing them is illegal....but this one was from the wild. Should I release him back? I worry that the poor little thing would probably not survive anyway, as few babies do.

Today, I went out and got a 50 gallon plastic pond liner(the kind you sink in the ground), so I kind of feel invested in this now. Is it a bad thing to keep a turtle that has been 'rescued' from the wild? And would it be an even worse thing to release him back into the wild when he gets a little bigger and is able to fend for himself? Would that be legal and/or humane? We have some canals built into our neighborhood, I'm sure he will do well in there someday. But do they get dependent on humans for food etc? I'm not worried about the temperatures, this is Florida and there are turtles wild in just about every body of water here.

Thanks for any advice.

[apondfortimmy]

I think it's just fine, especially since, if they're illegal, there's probably a program that keeps their populations under control. That means sure death if they're part of the culling. Plus, if you're not near a pond or a lake or anywhere that the little turtle SHOULD be, he might be an illegal release already.

I vote keep him / her.

Make sure you fence around the pond because these guys are escape artists. Not even kidding. Might want to even bury the fence a little too.

I think if you're going to rescue the little guy, he'll be yours for life. You'll probably get pretty attached to him / her and he / she should get pretty comfortable with you too, so you'll have a buddy. Plus you will get to create and decorate a pond! (lucky)

Yay turtle rescue! How old is your son?

[apondfortimmy]

Ooooh, I just thought of something... maybe if there are houses nearby, somebody might have lost him.
I suppose you could put up signs or something.

Perhaps he's just a really good walker and got lost while looking for more water.

[alisonk]

OK, Whew...I don't feel so bad now...

My son is 8, and has already named the turtle "Myrtle", and he plays with her every morning.
The pond I am not actually going to sink in the ground, I'm just setting it up in my lanai (under cover from rain). the sides are high, so I won't fill it all the way. hopefully he can't climb the sides!

I'll post in the general turtle care section, as I have loads of questions on the tank setup.

Thanks!

[apondfortimmy]

I'm sure you've heard the salmonella warning, but ... be extra vigilant about handwashing with your boy, especially because you don't know if this is a wild one or a lost pet.

I've had to drill it into my kids how important it is and we have a soap dispenser that's motion-activated because they love petting our house turtle.

[alisonk]

Yes! We do the handwash routine. We also keep a leopard gecko, so he knows the drill.

thanks!

[steve]

Welcome to the forum. A turtle is a big responsibility, do you think you have the time and resources to adopt him?

[alisonk]

Well, I was thinking we would keep him until he is big enough to fend for himself, then release him into a local pond or canal, which are filled with turtles. Is that a bad idea? Do they get accustomed to human care and then not survive in the wild? I don't want to do the wrong thing, but I'm worried about just setting him free now, hes so tiny.
The other option is to give him to our local wildlife rescue facility. They have birds mainly, some they keep always as they are injured, but some they release back. I could see if they's take turtles.

For now, I bought a 50 gallon pond that I was going to set up in the lanai, and I wouldn't mind purchasing a filter/light and whatever we need to keep him. I keep fish and a gecko (and a dog), so I'm used to cleaning tanks!

[penelope]

Once kept in captivity, it is not a good idea to return them to the wild. While they may still have a little call of the wild in them, they become dependent upon us to provide for them. Penelope came from the wild. She was a tough little cookie at first - now she is docile, and domesticated. She wouldn't survive if sent back.

[ataraxiamb]

Welcome! I vote you keep him.

[alisonk]

Well, we have kept him/her....I set up an outdoor pond in our lanai (covered from rain), but it does get sun in morning and afternoon for natural basking. Also got some pond plants, like water lettuce, water hyacinth, anacharis and parrots feather. (I read that they eat those, so he has something to nibble on). He still hasn't eaten the baby turtle pellets, but I will keep offering. He loves the frozen brine shrimp and frozen bloodworms!

[marilynjean]

I think you should keep him or her. Same thing happened to me in December when Clyde was found in my yard. He's an adult about 5 or 6 years old but his life in the wild has been hard on him. It takes awhile to get the necessary items to maintain them well but after that everybody settles into a routine. These little guys grow on you. If you have the time and the space your turtle will become a member of your family.

[Kansasslider]

I agree with most. I vote keep also but Dont release it into the wild.

[penelope]

Well, we have kept him/her....I set up an outdoor pond in our lanai

Yipppeee! Welcome to turtle parenthood