Other Turtle Discussion :: Turtle Rescue!

[lotsofpets]

Today I decided to go to the local pet shop to do some price checks on some things. While I was there I was looking at all the assorted animals they had. Then I found something that deeply upset me! They had a five and a half inch male RES in a small tub with only about half inch of water, two live gold fish, one dead, no lights/heater/ or filtration!

Well now he is in a fifty gallon tub with leaf lettuce, carrots, and a couple of guppies to eat. I made a makeshift dock for tonight and will at least put a UVA bulb next to his tank until I can get the neccessary supplies for him. It looks like I will be shopping for deals on craiglist or something very soon!

What bothers me so much is that they keep the pet store clean, the employees are usually helpfull, and the rest of the animals are kept in adaquate setups and appear healthy. So why couldn't they keep a turtle in an adaquate setup?

[marisa]

Congrats on a very good save!

Don't know about why they were treated like that, but sometimes turtles just aren't considered to be as worthy of care as some other pets (dogs, cats, etc.). No excuse for it. You did a very good thing.

[missibsu]

Good rescue! Keep an eye out for the pet store getting more in stock. If it happens again, I'd report them. Unfortunately we can't rescue them all.

[lotsofpets]

Here he is. I have not picked out a name yet. Maybe Monet, Picasso, or Edward (Edward Scissor Hands)[/img]

[Kallistos]

The only reason I don't fully support doing that is due to the fact how pet stores operate. They may purchase that turtle for say $5. Then, they could sell it to the customers for $15. Now they've made a $10 profit with which they can buy 2 more turtles and then make twice the profit. This cycle goes on and on...

[sneakyburrito]

only reason why turtles usually get the shaft is because people buy them so quickly that it isnt worth the labor to set up a correct turtle tank.

[N4784N R4613]

Are you sure thats a male? Did they trim his nails or something?

[lotsofpets]

You can not tell it from the picture, but he has super long front claws and thick tail. I am going to guess to that someone who didn't want him anymore took him to the petstore to get rid of him. I could possibly understand the pet store not giving him the proper lighting if they were not keeping him very long, but only a half inch of water? He could barely get his toenails wet! I think they could have at least provided him with enough water to swim in, appropriate food and a heater to keep the water warm if nothing else. I don't think the previous owner took very good care of him. He has several scratches on his shell, missing back claws, and two front claws that look like they have been torn out of their sockets. I need to treat at least treat him for the claw problem, but he acts more like a snapping turtle than anything else right now. He opens his mouth wide open and hisses loudly when I pick him up! Does anyone have any suggestions?

[industrial_girl_2000]

He is a nice-looking boy! Good save!

Boy turts do tend to be more aggressive when they get older. And you are right about the last owner probably not caring for him properly. The good thing is that you are here now taking care of him. It will take a long time for him to get used to "good" vs. "neglectful" care, but be patient & continue to provide good, clean, warm, tasty care.

Hand-feed him as much as possible to get him used to you. If he doesn't take the food from your hand, don't give him the food (it only takes them a few feedings to get this concept since they will get hungry & eventually eat the food from your hand). Also, take whatever you are going to feed him, divide that up into, say, 5 pieces, and give him a piece of food every time you walk by the tank. So you are not "overfeeding", but you are getting the point across to him that you should be associated with food.

For fun, you can take him out of the tank & put him on the ground. Take a small piece of fish put it in front of him & see if you can lead him around the room with it (like a donkey with a carrot in front of its nose). This is how I "trained" my turtle to follow me around the room. A way to a turtle's heart is thru it's stomach & if they start to see you as the "provider of all tasty things", that will go a long way. After you lead him around for a few feet, let him snap at the food, then put him back in the water so he can eat it (turts can't eat outside of the water).

Put the tank in a public place so he starts to understand that being around people is "no big deal" ("socialize the turtle!").

Enjoy!

[lotsofpets]

Well, my big boy is doing a little better now. He is swimming around his container now (before he just sat in one place). All that I have gotten him to eat was a tiny bit of leaf lettuce and a baby carrot that I had to soak in tuna juice before he ate anything. I saw him fluttering his claws at the temp. control on the heater today - very cute. He acts so much different than my other turtle Donatello! I am going to get a filter for his tank at Petsmart tomorrow as well as some other accessories. He has not used my homemade dock yet, but I think it will probably take awhile to rehabilitate this poor guy.

[SpotsMama]

Good luck. I hope your new boy has a long and happy life.

By the way, you now need to update your signature!