My friend found a paint turtle on a road and i want to take care of it but how?

Question

There is no place to safley let it go without it getting hit by a car. How can I take care of it and what do I feed it if it doesn't eat turtle food. I have been feeding it worms but what about the winter. Also I checked with the laws and it's legal.

Answer 1

All you people are soo negative it may get sick or something but trust me if a person took it from the wild, and if it isnt illegal to keep it, then its not going to kill the whole species off. I have kept a painted turtle before and guess what?, it was from the wild! i still have it now and not once has it gotten sick. so my suggestion is to just look it up on the internet and see if you can provide it with what it needs...

Answer 2

You can always get live food if there is a bait shop nearby. If they close for the winter, you might get a good deal on minnows just before they close. You can also feed it strips of liver dusted with bonemeal.

Answer 3

There is a good chance that the turtle was out of the water to lay eggs, which they will travel a good distance to do. Painters don't wander from water to much. They like to bask outside of the water, but that is usually on floating logs, rocks or shorelines. Your best bet would be to let it go in a pond/lake near were you found it.

But if you keep the turtle as a pet, you will need a large fish tank. For a wild turtle that is used to having space, I would go large, at least a 90 gallon tank with about 20% land for basking. You will also need uv lighting, heat/spot lights, water heater, rocks and plants for the water, a screen top, etc. If she has eggs, you will need to provide her a place to dig and bury the eggs. If you don't, she will either drop them in the water and they will spoil/die, or she will hold the eggs to long, get egg bound and die.

Answer 4

Put it back. Cars don't drive on lakes and ponds. It was probably out to lay eggs, and then it will go back to it's water home.

Answer 5

Yeah you just might want to release it back into the wild

Answer 6

save you and the turtle a big headache and let it go. i can assure you that you probably dont want to buy a 55-75 gallon tank, uvb lights and bulbs, basking light and bulbs, ramps, a 100 dollar filtration system, thermomethers, FRESH greens and live insects

if you take a healthy turtle out of the wild you are lessining the chance of the survival of the species.

Answer 7

Legal or not it is very difficult for someone inexperienced with keeping turtles to get a wild-caught turtle to thrive in captivity. The turtle usually dies within a few months.

If you aren't willing to set him free, then be prepared to put down a couple hundred dollars on a good turtle set up.

Answer 8

Go find a creek and put it there.

Answer 9

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.

I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. In Comparison to females, males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home

The minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. For 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What to Feed

In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.

In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist primarily of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis; however, they should be offered no more than they will consume during a single session to minimize water contamination. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish),  tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of chapped leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older. Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left

For adults, 20% of the diet may consist of commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens kale, romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Vital Statistics

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max.

Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration

Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent defecation. Therefore, a system needs to be in place for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available ..

Common Health Problems

If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

Fungal Infections

“Fungal infections are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

Respiratory Infections

“Slider turtles and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Most respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their early stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold.

Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com“.

Good luck