Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: hi, we're new & have questions...

[Rexamus]

A silver dollar sized turtle was found on our back patio this morning. We brought him in and made a temporary habitat. We offered him some bugs, worms and apple shavings but he's not interested. He's very lively because he's trying to escape his habitat. How long will it take him to come around and eat? My daughter wants to keep him but I'm not sure he's happy if he won't eat.

This website has been very helpful to us. We aren't sure though, if taking in a wild RES is more challenging than getting one from the petstore. If there isn't any difference once he comes around we will get the necessary equipment to house him. But we need to be sure he'll be okay and not better off back in the wild.

Your comments are appreciated.

[octpusgirl8]

Hi, and welcome to the site! What area do you live in? If the turtle you found is a normal, healthy wild turtle it would probably be best to let him live naturally. If it's not an area where RES normally live, or if you found him wandering around on a chilly day, i thinking keeping him would be a fine idea as long as you provide him with everything he needs for a long and happy life. Turtles are wonderful pets, and once you have them all set up they are very easy to care for, but getting the habitat right can be expensive. If you haven't already, read through all the info on the main site, www.redearslider.com.

[megcornell]

If you live in an area where RES can happily live outdoors all year round, I'd suggest returning the turtle to it's natural habitat. It's never a good idea to take any animal from the wild unless it is obvious that the animal would die in nature due to some disability or injury.
If you live in an area where RES aren't native or haven't been introduced to the local environment, you've probably found a dumped RES and it's best chance at survival is with you.
Before you decide to keep it, I strongly suggest you read up on the requirements of a res on the main site like octopusgirl suggested. Male RES will require upwards of a 75 gallon tank, and females will require around 100 gallons. They certainly aren't cheap animals to set up, so if it isn't something you are interested in doing or cannot do, then you should contact a local rescue so they can take him.
Good luck with the research!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Where are you from and what's your neighborhood like? That will help us determine if it's really a wild one or not. For you to find a random baby, I'm guessing that's not very likely.

If you do decide to release it (because it's healthy and probably wild) and are still interested in getting a turtle (which I recommend, as long as you have some money to spend on a habitat), look into adopting a turtle rather than buying one. There are many wonderful turtles and tortoises that need good homes and an older turtle presents less risk to children (not *no* risk, but *less* risk).

[Rexamus]

We live in florida so I'm guessing it's pretty likely we'd run into a baby RES. Now that he's adjusted to his "temporary" habitat he's finally started to eat. We've tried everything we can find but so far, he really likes earthworms. We got him some pellets but he prefers the earthworms. He's got quite the appetite. It's 9:47 pm here and I just came in from rounding up another meal for him.

Thanks to all who replied. I think we're gonna see how he does for a few days and if he's still eating well we'll get set up in a more permanent home i.e. aquarium, filter, heater, ect. In the meantime he seems to be doing quite well and my 10 year old daughter is having fun "fussing" over him. Like I said, we'll see how it goes. So far so good and he's eating well.

We'll keep you posted on Curtis' condition. Keep your fingers crossed but I think we've beem blessed with a new member of the family.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Be wary of giving in to the turtle and feeding him only earthworms. Bugs/fish are a once-a-month snack, not the basis for food. I know it will be a little difficult to get him to adjust, and it may take a few days of him not eating before he comes around to pellets, but if you plan on keeping him (which it sounds like you are), he needs to get on pellets as soon as possible. He needs the vitamins and balanced diet they provide. Otherwise, he'll have pyramiding of the shell, and face a lifetime of difficulty eating and breathing. Also, since he came in from outside, he might be more receptive to veggies at this point, like grass or something.

[Rexamus]

After reading their nutritional requirements on this site we then realized we'd have to ease up on the earthworms and concentrate on the pellets. I marinated them in tuna water for about 20 minutes. We broke the pellets in 1/4's and he ate some. I've got another batch of marinated pellets drying right now.

It's hard to resist giving him the earthworms since he had such a hearty appetite for them yesterday. I guess it will take some time for him to get used to the pellets exclusively.

Do they also like to eat grass? I think I read something about dandelion greens. Are they talking about the weed? My neighbor has lots of weeds in his yard. Please advise.

We've been offering him fruit on his platform but he prefers to stay in the water.

Thanks again for your input.