General Care Discussion :: Rehabing turtles for the wild

[goatfarmer123]

So I found this guy who says that he takes about 2 weeks to a month to rehab captive turtles to live in the wild again. Do ya'll think this is legit? Do you guys think it's possible to do it right and safely or is this just a guy who sets turtles free for the heck of it? He's affiliated with the zoo here- that's how I found him. Thoughts?

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Under right conditions i think its possiable. Have a large habitat filled with natural plants and fish. Sure the turtle wouldnt notice a difference.

[marisa]

Well, that's the goal of rehabbers---to return creatures to the wild. How long it would take would depend on the injury, if any, etc.

[mike hill]

Yep -- It is doable but there are several things that the turtle would have to aquire and one is learning to hunt and not depend on humans, the next would learn to be fearful of possible preditors including birds. I would take a lot of time and a lot of trial and error. They would need a sperate private place to be ovserved if can be released.

[Linus]

It's possible, but The turtle would have to be from the wild, not captive bred and when in captivity, it must not rely on humans for food.

[theartbook35]

Under right conditions i think its possiable. Have a large habitat filled with natural plants and fish. Sure the turtle wouldnt notice a difference.

I agree, that was my first thought.

I think it can work if the turtle is started on rehab during the hatchling stage. If a turtle is several years old, it might not always work.

The only worry about plants and fish that I have is, how does the turtle know which ones to eat, and which ones not to eat? The fake plants that I have are very realistic looking, but they aren't the kinds that RES would really find in the wild, and yet, my turtles try to eat them.