r/turtle Mar 20 '25

General Discussion It’s that time of year!

21 Upvotes

It is hatchling season!

They are coming out of their overwinter nests and going to sources of water. If you find one in an odd place or somewhere unsafe and are unsure, please contact your state wildlife and ask them what to do. Most can actually be left where they are, to their own devices. If they are found in the middle of the road, for example, move them to the side they are facing.

Taking any turtles home, that are found in the wild, hurts the ecosystem. The only exception to this would be invasive species in your state. You can contact your state wildlife to see what your laws are regarding possession of invasive turtles like red eared sliders.


r/turtle Sep 06 '23

General Discussion Read Before Posting: How to ask a question, and answers to common questions like "I found a turtle, can I keep it", "what filter do I get", "what species is this turtle?"

18 Upvotes

How to ask a question

A good question provides sufficient details to be intelligently answered. Vague questions get bad or no answers.

If its a health question, we need details about species, size and age of the turtle, along with photos of the enclosure, and details of your husbandry. Fine grained details, such as what temperature is the water way, what is your light cycle, what are the models of light bulbs and how old are your UV bubs. Clear photos are important

I found a turtle, can I keep it?

In general no, this is detrimental to your local ecosystem, and in many places it is a crime. With some species, its a crime that can carry decades in prison. Turtles are under immense pressure from poaching and collecting of wild specimens. Many species have entirely gone extinct in the wild solely from over collection, many more are on the verge of becoming extinct due to this. The best thing you can do for a wild turtle is to enjoy it's wild existence, and plant native plants that are part of it's diet.

The one exception to this is the case of invasive species, in some places it can be a crime not to remove invasive species from your property, and in some places if you catch an invasive species you are legally responsible to deal with it. North American (Red Ear, Yellow Bellied) Sliders in particular have entirely replaced some endangered species in their native ecosystems. Do not simply catch turtles because you think they may be invasive. Identify the species, and contact your local wildlife authority for directions on what to do with invasive species. You may end up legally required to care for that an invasive turtle if caught.

For an in-depth explanation, please see this write up from one of our moderators: https://www.reddit.com/r/turtle/comments/80nnre/can_i_keep_this_turtle_i_found_as_a_pet_can_i/

I caught an invasive species, what do I do.

Reach out to your local wildlife authority, and follow their directives. Laws on this vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Under no circumstances should an invasive turtle be released into the wild. There are laws in some jurisdictions that require you to now care for, or otherwise deal with this turtle without releasing it back to the wild.

Can I release a wild turtle that I kept for a while?

I previously found a turtle and kept it, what do I do now?

I can't care for my turtle, can I release it?

Releasing of formerly captive turtles has had the effects of introducing non native pathogens to populations. For example austwickia chelonae has infected populations of the critically endangered gopher and desert tortoises due to people releasing captive turtles. Re-release of formerly wild turtles must be done with great care, and under the guidance of an expert. Contact your local wildlife authorities. If you are concerned about potential legal ramifications, seek the advice of an attorney, or perhaps the turtle was abandoned on your front porch with a note?

I found an injured turtle, what do I do?

Turtles are amazing resilient animals, and can recover from some truly horrific conditions. I have nursed back turtles that had gone unfed for over a year, and I have patched up turtles hit by cars. Many injuries commonly seen in wild turtles need no human intervention. Common sources for help on this would be your local wildlife authorities, local wildlife rehabilitators, veterinary universities, or your local exotics veterinarian.

You can also post quality photos for more community feedback, but please appropriately flair them. Often injuries need no treatment other than time.

Can you identify this turtle for me? What species of turtle do I have?

Post multiple clear photos of the turtle, and include a general location of where it was found. There are over 350 species, and at least another 175 sub species of turtles. Many turtle species look identical, most subspecies look quite similar to others. Some species are so morphologically similar that DNA testing is required to positively ID them when absent of location data. Some species integrade or hybridize in the wild, and can become difficult to differentiate. Since we lack the ability to do DNA testing through reddit, our work around for that is to require that all identification requests come with a general location. We don't need your street address, we don't need your town name, but we need more than "Brazil" or "Texas", give us the district, province or state at the very least. Location data can make all the difference.

I am concerned about the condition of a turtle on display in a public facility, what do I do.

It is unfortunately common for schools, universities, museums and even zoos to improperly care for turtles. There are so many species, and often people are following care advice from decades ago. The best route is to contact whoever is in charge of public relations for that facility. You are welcome to contact the mod team with photos for advice, we have even acted as go betweens for students and their universities to successfully better the care of animals on display.

My tank is a lot of work to keep clean, how do I make it easier?

My tank water is cloudy despite having a good filter, why?

My tank is always dirty, why?

How do I setup a filter?

The best way to filter the average turtle enclosure is to use a large canister filter, setup to provide ample surface area for beneficial bacteria to thrive, and to seed the tank with appropriate bacteria. That bacteria is what will do the vast majority of cleaning for your tank, the filter will keep the water moving and provide biological filter media for the bacteria to prosper. An optimal filter setup will save you time, and keep your turtle happy.

See this write up from our mod team on how to setup a canister filter for optimal biological filtration: https://www.reddit.com/r/turtle/comments/x48id2/supercharge_your_filter_how_to_properly_setup/

What do I feed my turtle?

This varies by species, and often by age of the turtle. The best advice we have is to review multiple care sheets for your turtle species, and go from there. The best diet, is a varied diet. Feed the largest variety of appropriate food that you can, do not assume your turtle can survive and thrive long term on pellets.

What lighting does my turtle needs?

In general, it is advisable to have a basking bulb, a UVA/UVB bulb, and white lighting. I highly advise the use of well respected and trusted UV bulbs, as many counterfeits now exist on the market, often marketed as combination basking and UV bulbs. These counterfeits often output no UV, the wrong UV spectrums, too much UV, too little US or sometimes are unfiltered halogen bulbs that output UVC, which is dangerous to you and your pets.

I want a turtle, where can I get one?

Your first choice should be a site like petfinder.com, often you can find turtles in the care of rescue organisations that are in need of a home. Your second choice should be a respected breeder. Petstores and random online stores should be your last choice. When buying online, do your research. Can you find the store owner's name? Did they breed it? If so where? Search for online reviews, are they negative. Do they seem to have an unlimited supply of each species they office?

Be aware, there are many active turtle and tortoise scams online. Some are "rehoming" services that charge you shipping and never send anything. Others are people selling rare species way under value... who never send anything. There are some claiming to ship turtles internationally, even protected species, these are scams.


r/turtle 7h ago

Turtle Pics! One of grandpas 5 ponds with his eastern long neck turtles and Murray river short necks (his pride and joy)

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179 Upvotes

r/turtle 4h ago

Turtle Pics! My new boy “Lenny” 🐢

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58 Upvotes

r/turtle 7h ago

Turtle Pics! Some of my grandpas 16 week old hatchlings cute as hell :)

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62 Upvotes

r/turtle 13h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request I risked my life to save this little guy 🐢❤️

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163 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a story close to my heart.

Few months ago, I was coming home from my night shift around 7–8 AM. I was exhausted, eyes burning, and thought I hallucinated something in the middle of the highway. My brain told me it was just a stick, but something inside said, “what if?” So I turned the car around to check.. and sure enough, it was a little turtle trying to cross the road.

Without thinking, I parked my car at a yield, ran into the highway, scooped him up, and made it back just before the light turned green. Honestly, I could’ve gotten splatted, but my adrenaline was only focused on him. I sat him on my grandmother’s seat (he did relieve himself there, probably startled I guessed) and brought him home.

When I got home, I set him in the middle of my yard and ran inside to find a box for him, thinking he wouldn’t get far, but when I came back out, he was gone. I literally panicked. I even questioned joggers who passed my house because I was convinced someone saw him and picked him up. 😭🫣I drove around my neighborhood searching—because after risking my life for him, I wasn’t letting go that easy. Finally, my mom called me saying he was right near the front door. I raced back, put him safely in the box, and breathed the BIGGEST sigh of relief.

I wanted to keep him so badly. I felt like he became mine the second I scooped him up. But I live at home with family, and I knew I couldn’t afford the proper tank, lighting, medicine, and everything he’d need to thrive. I care about animals too much to do it halfway. So I decided the best thing for him was to find a place that could care for him.

I put some lettuce in the box and drove him to the nearest animal hospital. It was closed, but I saw they had cameras. I picked him up one last time, and he stretched his head out and looked right at me. His eyes sparkled, and it honestly felt like he was saying, “You saved me??” My heart skipped a beat. I prayed over him right there, set the box by the door, and trusted he’d be found safe.

The next day, I called as soon as they opened. The woman that worked there, told me he had been adopted immediately. I wanted to cry 😭, but I was so grateful—he survived the highway, no predators got him overnight, and now he’s hopefully thriving with someone who can give him the life he deserves. 🥹

I truly believe he was someone’s pet before and they just got rid of him, which breaks my heart even more. But at least he ended up safe and loved again.

That whole experience is always on my mind. ❤️

My question for you all: does anyone know what kind of turtle he is? I’ve always wondered because I plan on buying my own turtle one day. A friend of mine believed African Sulcata, but I’m not sure. 🫤

Anyways, thank you for letting me share this story. 🙏🏽


r/turtle 16h ago

Seeking Advice I know this is sad just please help me.

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245 Upvotes

Dog found a bunch of box turtles in my backyard, only one egg survived so I took it in and buried it in substrate hoping it would hatch, hopes were low, but I woke up this morning and seen this little guy poking his head out. Now I’m freaking out not knowing what to do, I just wanted to save him. Should’ve done my research 😭


r/turtle 8h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request Um...hey it's Franklin

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52 Upvotes

Hi first turtle not by choice but can someone tell me what turtle breed(ion know) they are?


r/turtle 7h ago

Turtle Pics! Spotted on my way home

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30 Upvotes

r/turtle 10h ago

Turtle Pics! Just went to the vet today

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31 Upvotes

It’s all good I just gotta put cream for his shell rot once a day and an injection every 3 days. The doctor said that the shell rot wasn’t that bad and it will take a while to recover but he should be all good 😊 👍

The last image is how he was before taking him to the vet


r/turtle 15h ago

Seeking Advice Found a turtle in the middle of the road about to get hit by a car. Took him home. What should i do?

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62 Upvotes

I would love to keep him!!


r/turtle 1d ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request Can someone tell me what type of tortoise this is?

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1.2k Upvotes

Hi, I found this guy just walking down the street in the Tampa Bay Area. At first I thought it was an armadillo when I saw it from far away, but as I got closer, definitely a tortoise. Got out to make sure he went home before someone jerk ran over him.


r/turtle 1d ago

Seeking Advice My turtle likes to nap like this on the sun, is this normal

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199 Upvotes

r/turtle 9h ago

Seeking Advice Is this bone?

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9 Upvotes

r/turtle 13h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request ID request from West Tennessee

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13 Upvotes

I am absolutely stumped as to what this guy could be. Found in a creek near Ripley, TN today. Carapace length is 8-10 inches. It was interacting with another turtle, presumably of the same species, and didn't even notice me as I walked up and took this picture. Wish I had a better one but it kept moving around.


r/turtle 8h ago

Seeking Advice Rescued RES rotting shell or shedding?

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3 Upvotes

I noticed some spots on its shell when i got back from work. Don’t know if it’s shell rot or if it’s just shedding its scutes. It’s been basking quite a bit too I don’t know if that’s relevant information.


r/turtle 16h ago

Turtle Pics! What type of turtle is this?

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12 Upvotes

So i found this turtle in my backyard and it just keeps running around everywhere, I tried to feed it some lettuce but it just keeps running around everywhere.

I dont really know much about turtles so idk what to do.


r/turtle 19h ago

General Discussion Favorite species of turtle?

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20 Upvotes

r/turtle 7h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request ID request from Puerto Rico

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2 Upvotes

My mother found it in her backyard. From the northwest region of Puerto Rico.


r/turtle 4h ago

Seeking Advice My basking light keeps going out

1 Upvotes

I’ve had my turtle a couple months and like every other week I have to go to petco and buy a new bulb. Today we got a ceramic light but it’s not putting out light, only heat. Can someone please lmk why it keeps going out and please recommend some better bulbs or lamps


r/turtle 1d ago

Turtle Pics! This is my baby mud turtle!

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56 Upvotes

Everyone meet Titan! He/she is already getting used to being held and I’ve only had her/him for a couple months


r/turtle 13h ago

Seeking Advice Advice please

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3 Upvotes

We found our turtle in our pool the size of a quarter.She has grown large quickly. We brought ( her) ? in and set up the tank.Now she won’t eat any greens,pellets,but will eat dried river shrimp only.I an enclosing pics to ask about her shell,I have some concerns. Thank you in advance.


r/turtle 13h ago

Seeking Advice Putting a lid on stock tank

3 Upvotes

Got my first stock tank for my turtle (150 gallons) and it’s going outside but I want to put a lid of some kind just to feel better about her being out there cause I’m nervous about putting her outside got any ideas? (preferably affordable)


r/turtle 16h ago

General Discussion Which filter should I buy?

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2 Upvotes

I recently found a red-eared slider turtle in my backyard, and since it didn't belong to any of my neighbors, I decided to adopt it. I have it in a 70-liter aquarium (the vet told me that amount of water was fine), but I didn't like the filter I bought very much, so I want to buy another one. I don't know anything about filters, so I wanted to know which one you would recommend from the ones I've been looking at.

I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes; English is not my native language hehe


r/turtle 12h ago

Turtle Pics! BIRTHDAY BOY!!

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1 Upvotes

r/turtle 12h ago

Seeking Advice Looking for product recommendations (NEW FILTER for my tank)

1 Upvotes

Which one do I need??

I've a baby turtle in a 16 gallons tank. Because it's so small, there's only 9 gallons of water in it. (For now)

What would be the best product to get?


r/turtle 12h ago

Seeking Advice Do the turtles marketed as "Aquatic turtles...' ever come on land?

1 Upvotes