General Care Discussion :: HELP! My Little RES got out of Pond and I can't find him!

[together28]

I have a small pond built into my front porch and and this little RES showed up in the pond one day two months ago. I've been caring for him ever since and just fell in love with this little turtle. He is probably about 6 mos. old.

While I was at work this afternoon, we had very heavy rains and the pond filled up to the rim. One of the water hyacinths was half in and half out of the pond and Bubba is nowhere to be found. I've looked all over and know he could be anywhere, and if he wasn't moving, I might not see him.

How likely is he to come back to the pond once he got out? I'm so upset and have been crying ever since I came home from work and went out to spend time with him and couldn't find him. I don't know what to do.

What might he be attracted to? Does he have a sense of smell that will guide him back to the pond where I can figure out a way to keep him from getting out?

Please give me some advice!!!

[together28]

I've been outside all evening searching for Bubba. I also went out in the dark and shined the flashlight around in the garden, the grass, the driveway, everywhere, just looking for a little bit of movement or coloring that looked like him. Came across a frog and a toad and that was all.

What are the chances that he is still close by? Or is it more likely that he is a mile away by now and gone forever? I don't know how adventurous they are or if they stay close to their homes. I put some Reptomin and baby shrimp around the perimeter of the pond, in case he was fairly close and could smell it but I've only seen two slugs eating a couple of them.

Since he was cared for and being fed, would he still roam away and not come back, or not be able to find his way back? He's tiny, two inches long.

The next door neighbor also has a pond by their front door (they call it a bog) and it's much deeper than mine, they have tons of plants in it and a couple of snakes. I'm going to check with her tomorrow to see if he ended up there somehow.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I don't want to trouble you, but I'm going to say it's not highly likely that he'll come back. Often when they escape, they'll wander off and get lost. It's also possible that a predator may get them, esp. since he's so small.

However, that's not to say that you won't find him tomorrow. Keep searching the yard and doing what you are doing. And check with your neighbor.

Should he come back or you want to get another turtle, you need to put up a turtle-proof perimeter to keep him in. As you've learned the hard way, just a little rain and they can up and wander off.

Good luck searching!!

[together28]

Bubba just wandered into my life and I felt he ended up here for a reason. If I can't find him, I will not go out to buy a turtle. I am heartbroken wondering where he is and will keep looking for him.

Would he most likely wander looking for water spots? Do they tend to wander far or kind of stay in the general area? I know it's a hard question because people either find their turtles or they don't but there must be some general knowledge on their behavior.

If I find him, I will definitely put up a barrier to keep him from getting out until we can build a larger pond for him in an enclosed area. Thank you for your reply.

[bover907]

Well, if he just showed up one day, Then there's obvously a suitable RES habitat around you, unless he was someone else's escaped little guy. If you have a natural pond with a natural RES population, then in the even you don't find him, You may find solace in the fact that he possibly found his natural home the same way he found your pond.

I do hope you find him though, since it seems like you got pretty attached to him since he came around.

[together28]

I am very attached to him. I would sing made up Bubba songs to him and talk to him and he would always come up to see me. I would hold him and pet him and let him walk around on the porch by his pond. A few days ago the neighbor gave me 4 water hyacinths that were large with huge roots and he LOVED getting all tangled up in them and just floating - I would call him and couldn't find him and then he'd inch toward the top and peek out of the roots. I always told him he was the cutest little turtle ever!!!

No luck in finding him today. I pulled out the binoculars to get a better view and searched the levee areas and our yard, stopped at the neighbor and searched her pond, gardens and back yard.

I just keep praying that if we don't find him, that God will lead him to the canal and watch over him so he grows up and has a good life. It's hard not knowing if he's safe or if he's still wandering searching for water or food. I'm sure there are other turtles around the canal but also plenty of predators. I am just trying to think positive.

[tammi]

Maybe watch the warm basking spots in the mornings maybe he will be suning himself.
I home he comes back. If not have peace of mind knowing you gave him a pretty good chance.

[together28]

Thanks Tammi, that is a good idea. I will walk over the levee in the morning and use the binoculars to see if he might be sunning on the shore of the canal before I get too close. I will also look around my yard and the neighbor's yards again.

[tammi]

Good luck. I know I'd be heart broken too if I lost any of my babies.

[TheComputerGremlin]

That is true, I remember one member lost their turtle in the yard and found them basking on a tree root. There's always the possibility!

[together28]

I went out this morning along the levee and the canal and didn't see any turtles. I looked with the binoculars before I approached also.

This may sound very silly (my husband thinks it was a dumb idea), but I made up a flyer with information and a couple of his photos and left them at a few of the neighbors houses nearby. There are several houses that are gutted and vacant still from Hurricane Katrina and a few new ones being built so that's less people who may see him but I'm still hoping..... I know he's small and hard to see but people have ponds, pools and gardens and may come across him so I'll take my chances at looking stupid. I don't mind and if it helped me find Bubba it would be worth it.

Anyway, thanks for all of the support and advice that I've received from this forum since Bubba came into my life. I appreciate it and will let you know if I do find him.

Thanks so much,
Debra

[steve]

Hi Debra, you just need to keep looking and don't give up! www.redearslider.com/lost_turtle.html

[together28]

Steve,

Thank you for that link. That was very helpful. I have been searching gardens and grass for movement or for his coloring, but I hadn't been closely looking along the edges of walls or fences or underneath things in gardens. That gives me some hope that maybe he is still in the vacinity. The binoculars really help me get a good close up look of the grass or garden while I'm walking although he will still be hard to find since he's so little. I keep checking the pond also, just hoping he will find his way back.

Thanks again,
Debra

[ShellbyRES16x]

I know that turtles are attracted to the color white.. but I don't know if this will help. You could get some of your neighbors to look in their yards, or make sure to look under any bushes/thick plants since turtles LOVE hiding underneath them! Also, I know this may soung silly, but look for 'trails' if there is grass nearby. My old turtle used to leave little marks where the grass would be flat after she would walk over it, and it was a big help! I've lost a turtle too, so I know how it feels like! Good luck finding the little guy!

[together28]

I've been walking the perimeters of my house and yard, still looking in the next door neighbor's gardens and pond, walking around the levee areas checking the trees roots in the morning for basking and/or looking for movement, walking along the canal looking for movement or basking.

Right along the shore of the canal, it's very yucky - lots of plastic bottles, bottle caps, shoes, debris embedded in the mud. Debris is also down in the mud underwater too - maybe not the best place for a turtle to hang out. But the overall canal looks good and the levee areas are definitely clear of debris. I didn't see any turtles, any wet rocks indicating basking, any movement marks in the mud from turtle legs - just an occasional dog paw or bird footprint, and one Nutria in the water.

I've been keeping high hopes but am starting to feel like I will not find him. My greatest place of hope would be the neighbors bog (pond). They have a blanket of anacharis and hyacinth on the top and it all moves as one piece. There are other areas that are open with bamboo type plants growing, and they also have a very dense area of plants next to the pond that is in a concrete bed about 6 inches above the pond. My hope is that he made it here and I just can't find him because it's so dense. They have a turtle log that floats at the top for their toad and I check it for basking. And of course, I call his name and talk to him whenever I'm searching in case he recognizes my voice.

Thanks again for all the advice. Trust me, I don't think any of the advice is silly. Look at me, I made flyers and put them in the mailboxes of my neighbors!!! People at work and family keep telling me "well, that's nature. He showed up in your pond one day and he left one day. That's the way nature works. He'll be fine" But I feel responsible for him now that he's been here for two months. He's just a baby and I worry about predators or him not being able to find water in time. He can't eat if he's not in water. I just love the little guy so much - I knew I was attached but didn't realize how much I'd grown to love my little Bubba until he was gone.