Urgent Care :: Hatchlings, what do I do now?

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Post Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:10 pm   Hatchlings, what do I do now?

My situation: I stumbled accross this turtle on the runway, where I work. I brought her home and provided her with a temporary set up consisting of a kiddie pool from walmart and a very big backyard. Inmediately following I went to the local petstore to get food and a filter for the pool. I took the turtle with me to try to determine what kind of species she is but they could not give me a straight answer, they did tell me she is a slider though. I've had her for two weeks now and she has settled in her new temporary tank quite good. This morning when I went to check on her I noticed 6 eggs at the bottom of the pool. I don't know what to do. The eggs are under water right now, should I take them out? I will be buying a pond know to put in the backyard for the unexpected turtle family I'm about to have. I almost forgot the turtle measures 14 inches long. The head has yellow and green stripes that flow parallel to her neck. PLEASE HELP!!!
steeda
 
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Post Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:29 pm   

That turtle was probably looking for a place to nest when you found her. I think everyone will tell you to return her to where you found her- at least where the area is safe. RES and all other turtles need to lay eggs on land and therefor the eggs are not viable. You may want to get her checked to see if she's retaining any. You can physically check or have a vet do an xray. Maybe let her loose and she'll continue to look for a nest.

In general, it may be against the law to take in a wild turtle where you live. Also wild turtles do not do well in captivity if you intend to keep her. Even a backyard pond will be too restricting. I would suggest you release her and adopt some turtles that are in your area and already captive. Good luck.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:59 pm   EGGS!!!

What should I do with the eggs? Should I take them out of the water? I think I might take mommy turtle back to a nearby lake but the eggs I think they wont survive without proper care. It is not illegal to take care of a wild turtle unless is a protected species and I have good intentions for the well being of the animal.
steeda
 
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Post Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 2:26 pm   

I'm pretty sure the eggs won't hatch. It possible they were never fertile but they need to be in specific conditions at the moment they are laid. Not being in a nest or an incubator will mean these eggs are not viable. It's not instinctive for a turtle to lay eggs in water. Sorry for the bad news.

It'll be good to release the turtle you have, as I mentioned earlier it's harder to keep a wild turtle. Such a large turtle would also require a huge commitment to space.

However, if you're willing to build a pond, you have a great opportunity to build it suitable to RES. If you see a post by OldTurtle, you can learn alot. He's a resident expert on many things, including outdoor habitats. You could also pick out a couple of turtles, make sure they're healthy, pick out what gender you want, ect.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:19 pm   

I agree that they are more than likely dead already, here is a quote from Valerie Haekey's site:

Help! My Turtle Has Laid Eggs
=============================

Copyright by Valerie Haecky. This document may be freely
distributed for non-profit use, provided this notice is
included.

Water Turtle Eggs
======================

* If your water turtle has laid eggs in the water, and you didn't remove them
within a couple of hours, the eggs are probably dead. The reason is that the
eggs are deprived of oxygen and they die.


Read the rest here: http://www.turtlecare.net/eggs.htm

I hope that helps :D
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STRAYKINGFISHER
 
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:21 am   hatchlings

I think youre right, Thanx for the info!!!!
steeda
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:54 pm   

Hello! Speaking for Fluffy the Fighter, if you are considering re-releasing the turtle to the wild you may want to double check the laws, I know in most states re-releasing a turtle after it has been touched and handled by humans is against the law.
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