General Care Discussion :: Scared!

[veryterri]

New RES owner. I’m pretty sure it’s adult. It was kind of handed off to me after a coworker found it in her sons bathtub!! I have a big tank. A light. A floating thing for basking... But I need to clean it. And I’m scared to grab him and take him out. I couldn’t get the gravel vacuum to work so all that water needs to go! Great filter but it can only do so much! What am I asking? I don’t know! Once I went to grab him and I saw his next extend further then I knew it could. We are probably equally scared.

[steve]

How long have you had it? It's possible he caught a wild turtle. If it happened recently, you might want to get in touch with a wildlife rescue/rehabber.

[veryterri]

How long have you had it? It's possible he caught a wild turtle. If it happened recently, you might want to get in touch with a wildlife rescue/rehabber.

I have had him about a month. I didn’t know you could catch a RES in Maryland. I will find out. How do I pick it up?

[litefoot]

http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Docume ... cklist.pdf

May of been a pet that someone did not want anymore and illegally dumped in the wild. (Maryland)
RES's are not native to Maryland but were introduced illegally. Some states have very strict laws on this so I would check to see how they want to deal with it . Today it may be considered an invasive species in Maryland .