General Care Discussion :: I have a turtle my friend found

[squirrely2005]

Ok i live in Texas and my friend found a RES. He asked me what they ate and i wasnt sure so i told i would take it off of him and figure out what it eats. Well its about an inch and a half and thats just his shell. He will not eat. Ive tried feeding him but he wont eat so do ya'll know what will get him eating? And i dont know what its called but i guess its a scale on his shell but its black. So do ya'll know what that is?
thanx for reading?

[fishandcandy]

You can try feeding him tuna or cooked chicken. He might be too scared to eat.
Are you going to keep him? If you are, here's a good article on setting up his enclosure. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/firstturtleenclosure.htm

[jenaero]

I'd advise letting him go where he was found.

[marisa]

He has a black scute? Can you post a pic of the shell dry?

You could try something live like an earthworm cut up or some crickets. He would be more apt to eat something that's more like what he would encounter in the wild. What are your plans for the turtle?

[missibsu]

I, too, would let the turtle go where he was found. Despite the fact that he is still small, he is a wild animal. If you are interested in a turtle as a pet there are several reputable places that they can be adopted or purchased from. By doing it that way you can set up a suitable place for your turt to live before he ever comes home. Why take them out of the wild when there are already so many 'domesticated' RES in shelters without homes?

[squirrely2005]

I thought about letting him go but im not sure where. I guess ill find a place and ill try to post a pic tomorrow.

[squirrely2005]

well heres a pic of the little guy

[marisa]

The pic is fuzzy. But that black area/scute really stands out. From what I can see, it looks like some sort of injury. Is there any smell from the area? And shedding/peeling from the scute there?

Is the turtle eating yet?

[missibsu]

The gravel stands out too! It should be removed before your turt decides to eat it. The last thing you want is to take the turt to surgery to have the gravel removed. How deep is the water in your tank? From that angle it appears to be pretty shallow. I was just curious.