General Care Discussion :: Help! Please!

[Night_Nurse]

I can't figure out the appropriate category for this so I'm sorry if it's incorrect.

Short version - my RES (approx. 7 months or so) is missing - outside!

Long version - I was giving this RES when it was a tiny little thing, found out in the country by my dad. So I have no previous experience with turts but did read up here and online and checked info at pet stores on her care. She's been eating and doing just fine, even found a scute lately. She's been kept in an outside aquarium on our covered patio, with appropriate heater and lighting, but I've been bringing her inside at night as the temp. in TX has been getting cooler. The past week or two I've only had her out in the aquarium from about noon until dinnertime (6pm-ish) and she sleeps in a box with a little blanket.
I only mention this because I know some of you will judge me for having her outside. But she's been just fine. Because it's getting cooler I said to my husband Monday night that I needed to get the tank set up in the house soon. I had planned on doing that Tuesday night. I went out after dinner to bring her inside and she was gone!
I have no idea what to do and I'm beside myself with fear.

I put her in the aquarium Tuesday around 1pm (when the temp was warm enough) and I added a bit of new water and treatment. I went back out around 2pm and fed her. When I went back out at 6 she was gone. The tank covering was still in place with the weight on top of it but the turt was nowhere. I'm guessing she somehow managed to slip out between the tank cover and the lip of the tank, although I'm not positive. I blame myself because I think by adding the extra water today that caused the water level to raise the floating rock (basking area) enough that maybe she could escape. I don't know. She's only about 3.5 - 4 inches but the level from the water to the top of the tank was maybe 7 inches. Would it be possible that she could escape? Our kids weren't here today so I know they didn't remove her. The only other thing I could think of was that someone stole her but I find that very unlikely.
We searched the porch and all of the yard we could see (it was very dark and we have one acre) but found no traces. I plan on searching at mornings light but I need everyones help. Where do I look? Do turtles hide in certain places? We have no water (pond or stream) on our property, neither do any neighbors, but it recently rained and there is water in the culvert (ditch).

I'm worried because it's so cold right now and she's not used to the cold. It's currently 63 with the forecasted low to reach 55 degrees. Do turts keep on moving at night or do they hide and sleep (which is what she did at home but I don't know how they act in the wild)? This may be dumb, but do they head in a certain direction during the day? Example, will she head east towards the sunlight? I'm so worried about how she'll eat and how she'll survive.
Has anyone ever had a turt escape and then be able to find them again? Any suggestions would be appreciated. We live in the country and all those around us have large acre lots without fences. I'm just at a loss as what to do.
Thanks for any help.

[SpotsMama]

Don't panic. There's a real chance he'll turn up. Here are some tips on finding a lost turtle:

http://www.redearslider.com/lost_turtle.html

With temps in the 50's he won't freeze but he will slow down. They are most active during the day and mostly sleep at night. They don't head in any particular direction but they may be attracted by water. Therefore, leave a dish of water where he would likely be able to find it and be able to get into it to soak.

They are excellent hiders. Look even in places you think he couldn't possibly be - behind furniture, in shoes, in any little crack or crevice. Outdoors, turtles tend to dig down into soft dirt or hide under leaves. In fact, we found our turtle 7 years ago in the back yard underneath a pile of leaves. It was nearly Thanksgiving and quite cold outside - it's a miracle he survived but he did.

Here's a thread from someone who recently lost a turtle inside and found it after a number of days. It should give you hope.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... highlight=

[TurtleLover_S&B]

I'm so sorry!I hope you find him soon,and I hope SpotsMama's advice helps!

[Night_Nurse]

Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate her but I did try the advice given.
It's been pretty cold here in N. TX at night (40-50's). I'll still keep an eye out. I'm wondering if this stage in her early life and the time of year she escaped, would she even know to hibernate? I guess what I'm asking is would only a few days be adequate for a turtle to prepare to hibernate, because the temps dropped pretty low just two nights after she went missing. Or are the chances high that she has died?
All of the homes around here are on one or more acres and most do not have fences. I searched about 4 or 5 acres the very next morning (at sunrise) and again all throughout the day. The neighborhood kids have been alerted she's missing and know to return her if found. I'm just not feeling very hopeful at this point.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Don't worry about her, her natural instinct to survive should kick in and she should be able to hibernate. The only real way for a turtle to die from the environment would be if the temps were swinging back and forth between warm and cold. I don't know if 40-50 degrees is enough to induce hibernation yet, though, so keep looking. Have you searched in all of the bushes and leaf piles and grasses that remain? Are there any water sources nearby that she may go to?

A really good time to look for your turtle is anytime you have a direct sunlight moment, like bright warm sun streaming in. Then look at anywhere the turtle may have found for basking. Someone lost their turtle recently and found them basking on a raised tree root. So you never know where or how you'll find them.

[Night_Nurse]

The temps have been swinging a bit, which is normal for TX weather. We've had a few nights down into the 30's at my place - not below freezing but 38 or so, and then it bounces back up to mid 70's to low 80's during the day. Hopefully that's not extreme enough to cause her to die.
Unfortunately, we really don't have any leaves or trees around here. I live in a brand new sub-division that 2 years ago was cattle land. I have looked all around the house and near rocks, in the culverts (which hold water at times). One of the neighbor kids said she might be in someone's pool. I just laughed, thought it was cute for a 7 yr. old to say, but since we don't have any ponds or creeks in this neighborhood, maybe she really did head for an inground pool. I'll go ask those neighbors tomorrow.
I'll keep looking. I was looking at pictures of her (Sophia) last night and it just made me so sad. I really miss her.
And I'm still not 100% certain someone didn't steal her, because the tank cover was still in place, with the weight (plate) still on top and unmoved. But I don't see that scenario as very likely either and I don't know who would steal a turtle from my back porch.
I'll keep the hope alive, for a while at least.

[geekyturtle]

Are there other water places nearby (ponds, streams, etc.) that he might've went for? Has it rained recently (puddles)? Maybe put some food in the aquarium, or something she could easily get back into.

If you have a webcam, setup motion detection for it and point it outside near the aquarium, or where there's a good basking spot it might sit at.

I assume the aquarium doesn't have a lot of crud at the bottom where he might've buried himself into, but thought I'd mention it. How big is the aquarium, and how big a drop was it if he got out from the top of the tank?

[steve]

Continue to check areas against walls and barriers and underneath them. I know it's been awhile, but you can only keep looking.

There are a few tips here:
www.redearslider.com/lost_turtle.html

[bradmeisel]

I would be heartbroken if I lost my turtle.

Don't give up hope. Turtles are rugged little creatures.

My hopes and wishes for a safe return are with you.

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Well,don't give up.Keep looking,he'll probably turn up!

[marisa]

I really hope you find her. I know from personal experience how frustrating and sad this can be. If the temps do get in the 70's or 80's during the day, you may find her basking or at least moving around during the warmest part of the day. If you've been walking in fields looking for her, look closely at any animal burrows you might see (she could have buried herself in one) or any clumps of grass and check those culverts. If she's out there and moving, she'll be looking for water, not in any particular direction. Cool temps will, however, make her inactive (and therefore hide) and the innstinct to hibernate will take over once they drop and become prolonged.