Urgent Care :: Two Adult Males Need A Good Home

[NikkiD]

Hi Everyone,

I currently have two adult male red ear sliders that desperately need a good home. Two weeks ago I underwent major surgery donating a kidney to my mother. Because I am now less one kidney my ability to process and filter bacteria has declined. As many of you are aware, turtles can carry salmonella as well as other bacteria and I could potentially become very sick or even die.

Therefore, I am looking for a new home for my two sweet turtles. The are both healthy and also rather large. I do have one approx. 35-50 gallon tank that I can give away with them, but it is not large enough to house them both. (The larger tank they are currently in technically belongs to someone so I can't give it away.)

If there is anyone in the greater Boston area that can take them or would know of a place that would take them until they could find a permanent home, please let me know. I am absolutely desperate and unable to even go near them now. A friend is caring for them at the time, but they are still in my house and need to leave as soon as possible. Please help if you can.

Nikki

[TartarugaVerde]

hey Nikki, proud of you! nice thing you did to help your mom!
im in florida, sorry but I hope u find a place for them!

[marisa]

Is this something that a doctor has recommended? If not, and if they're healthy, then I wouldn't be that worried about catching salmonella from them. You can certainly go near them---you don't get salmonella by just being near them. Salmonella is caused by bacteria in their intestines that's shed if they're ill or under stress when they eliminate in the tank. That's why it's important for anyone to wash their hands well after touching their turtles or anything in the tank. You just need to keep everything really clean and the turtles healthy (so the change of shedding the salmonella bacteria is minimized).

If you're feeling that with the operation caring for them will be too difficult, that's another story (your friend is being a big help caring for them while you recover). But unless you're under doctor's orders to do this, I don't think I'd let the fear of salmonella make me give them up as long as I could take proper precautions as noted above.

I think what you did for your mother is really admirable and hope that both of you recover quickly.

[NikkiD]

It is actually recommended by two of my doctors. There were some complications during my surgery and my immune system is not what it once was. Any bacteria entering my system can be harmful and the risks of illness is much higher now. Due to the medications I am on now, I am no longer allowed to own any reptiles, birds, or small rodents (hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.). I can keep my cat (indoor only) , and I could even own a dog if it is groomed properly.

I am still looking for a new home for my babies. I have tried contacting a couple rescue shelters in the Boston area, but I have not heard back from anyone yet. If there are any local rescue that anyone knows about, please let me know.

Thanks.

[steve]

I hope you and your mom are recovering well! Sorry to hear you have to give your babies up

If you can't find friends or family members willing to take them off your hands (with free supplies and training), you might want to check on some of the links here: http://www.redearslider.com/links_adopt ... scues.html

[NikkiD]

Thanks for your help Steve. I actually have already begun looking into a lot of these sites. The only problem is the link you have for the MA Turtle Rescue is actually a wholesale website for anything you can imagine and connects to purchase things on EBay. The New England rescue still has not gotten back to me. And I am looking into the others now.

BTW, my mother and I are both doing well. I am taking a little longer to recover than expected, but everything is on the right track.

[steve]

Thanks for letting me know! I'll remove them when I get home later.