Turtle help???????

Question

my gf save a turtle from the road some guy hit it and cracked its shell we took it to the vet and he took care of it for about a week to reheal it and now he has given it back to us suggesting that we care for it for the remainder of its life since it is somewhat paralyzd and would easily get picked off by a predator as he claims the probably is he didnt even know what kind of turtle it is? we live in somerset kentucky and i have looked up every species of turtle that is native to mentucky and he doesnt look like any of them he does share some of the characteristics my box turtles have but his shail is more oval than their rounded shells also his head is wider and alot larger he only has a single hinged shell to and its in the front where as box turts are doulbe hinged his shell paterns are like a box turt but his front of his head is yellow with black around his eyes and the rest of his neck is also black...so what kind of turtle is he?

Answer 1

Where did you get the idea that box turtles had more than one hinge? It sure sounds like a box turtle to me. They show a lot of variation in pattern.

The growth on the neck might be a tumor or it might be a parasite. In either case, the turtle will last until the vet returns from vacation. You are not likely to catch anything from your turtle, either way.

Answer 2

It is a Mud Turtle (http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/f... if it only has one hinge. It cannot easily pass on any germs and most wild-caught turtles living in clean habitats don't even carry Salmonella.

Mud Turtles do well in the wild even when injured, and predation is not really a big issue for turtles other than babies.

Release it close to where you found it and odds are it will recover enough to continue to add to its local ecosystem.

Answer 3

??????? i dont know what type it is but u should keep it plz

Answer 4

I would sya red eared slider or painted turtle, I live in missouri so we have basically the same turtles so thsi is my best guess. ALso I am not sure what the grwoth may be but it is almost certainly no contagius, also just wash your hands after holding him and the turtle shouldnt give you any disease, you cant get anything from just having it.

Answer 5

easy hes a yellow belly slider i caught those all the time when i was young....................keep it , its life depends on you and tell your gf good job. Shes a good person.