Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:59 pm
First questions to ask yourself, how far away is the nearest water source like a pond, stream, or swampy area? Has it been raining a lot recently or have you seen any flooding? Have you seen turtles in your area before?
Next questions, what type of turtle is it? (Photos posted on here will make it easier for us to tell, there are also id places online to help you out.) Is it native to your area? Florida is a little picky about turtles, so you obviously don't want to put a non-native turtle back into the wild, or it might be scooped up and killed at some later point.
Last questions, what is the condition of the shell? Is there any pyramiding? Moss/algae can grow in a normal turtle tank with poor conditions, so that doesn't mean it is necessarily a wild turtle. Is there any peeling? Is the bottom scratched up from like a rock or something?
You can also try a quick test out, try giving the turtle some pellets, in the water of course. If it quickly takes to them, it was probably captive at some point in its life, though not necessarily.
JAX
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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)
