okay well two weekes ago i found a turtle in the road of my community so cute couldnt have been more then a few weeks old (red eared slider) well i live close to a lake and i think thats where he came from i kept him in my house for a few weeks i bought him a lagoon and food and took good care of him i went to the pet store and realized how much work was needed to really care for him the proper way and i started to feel bad that i would be locking him up in a cage and makeing fake sunlight so he can live so i let him go in the nearby lake where there a many many turtles just like him...so what i need to know is if he will survive and if he will adapt to the other turtles
2007-02-27 05:01:48 · 16 answers · asked by turtle 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
i think you did a wonderful thing. i wish more people could be like you. They take wild animals out of their habitat and domesticate them. Now i prolly sound like a hypocrit tho becasue i own lizards and im shure they were even tually scooped out of the wild at some point or another. any ways. you found the turtle locally, and it was wild, it wasnt born in to captivity, so it still had its natural instincts. im shure the couple of weeks didnt hurt it any, and it will be fine on its own. Yes in the wild, some turtles do die, but that is from natural causes. but believe me you did do a good thing. if it was born in to captivity and then you realeased it it would be a diffrent story. and sometimes illegal. in my state it is illegal to release captive animals in to the wild. i am shure he will fit in and do great. dont worry be proud!
2007-02-27 11:22:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You DID DO the absolute best thing for the little guy. It's nice to have such a pet but only if it is born in captivity & is made for a house pet. He was meant to be in the wild & he will be happy in the lake.
I also know you were in the right spot at the right time to save his little life. A year & a half ago I saw a large turtle on a road that had been hit & wished someone could of gotten there sooner.
Don't know if you ever heard this but the Turtle is a sign of Mother Earth for the Native American Indian.
I love turtle's & have a whole collection of little figurines but have never had a real one because they are a lot of work to make sure they live a healthy life.
GOOD FOR YOU FOR HELPING HIM AS YOU DID !!!
2007-02-27 05:14:02 · answer #2 · answered by day by day 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is not an easy question. Some key points:
1. It is illegal in most states to release pets into the wild, even if they are local.
2. Turtles that have spent time in our houses tend to pick up several diseases from us and then develop a semi-resistance. When released, it takes the diseases to the wild population.
3. Red-ears are a wide-spread species that adapt and thrive in many conditions, but they have also been introduced in many places that they are not supposed to be and they have caused problems for native species in those places. Finding a Red-ear nearby does not mean it is supposed to be there.
4. According to studies, the longer an animal is out of its natural habitat, the worse it will do when reintroduced. A couple weeks is not generally a big deal, so this is in its favor.
5. Wild-caught animals, even turtles, experience a LOT of stress when captured, transported, 'locked up', and retransported. This makes them not do well in captivity, opens them up for disease, and paves the way for problems later.
6. All of that aside, turtles are survivors, and Red-ears are especially good at this. The success of released turtles in non-native habitats shows that they often do quite nicely even with several strikes against them.
2007-02-27 09:07:31 · answer #3 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Since you say you only had him for two weeks inside then he should be perfectly fine fending for himself. I think if you had him much longer it would be a different story but I don't think he fully adjusted to life inside in 2 weeks so the adjustment to go out should not be as major. I commend you on your decision and the fact that you are worried if you did the right thing(I think you did by the way). If you did not care about this little guys welfare then you would have kept him and/or not asked this question, it says a lot about your character that you cared enough to ask. I would think that the little turtle is now very thankfull that he was released from the strange thing that took him away from his home(sort of like us and aliens, maybe??LOL). Anyway, again in answer to your question, yes I think he will be fine since you didn't waste much time in returning him and second I absolutely think you did the best thing for your little buddy. I am a firm believer that no animal should be taken from the wild to be a pet, I just think that from their standpoint it's just too cruel.
2007-02-27 08:35:11 · answer #4 · answered by Dale d 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think what you did was a good thing.. I mean dont get me wrong taking care of a turtle is cool but as you keep on taking care of that turtle you will find out that it will be really expensive..I think putting him back were there are other turtles was the best bet. Just think of it this was now it can be around its kind and eat as much as it wants.. Trust me the other turtle will teach it everything it needs to know.. You did a good thing by taking care of it but you did a even better thing letting it go through it regular life cycle...
2007-02-27 05:11:44 · answer #5 · answered by bigred091185 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think that you did the right thing. He was wild before you found him, so he already has the natural instinct and ability to survive on his own, if he had been a pet store turtle he would not have been able to survive, but yours does. It would have been cruel to keep the turtle caged up, when he already knew freedom. What you did was gave him back his life and his freedom. You did the right thing.
2007-02-27 05:12:37 · answer #6 · answered by mischa 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i think that you did the right thing!!! that lake is most likely where it did come from ..!!! even though it is not recommended that captive animals be released to a lake or the wild i believe that you did do the right thign it was already loose in the real world and most likely knows how to find food and all of its needs!!! it makes me happy to see that people do care about turtles!!1 im tired of hearing that only dogs have feelings!!!
2007-02-27 06:20:18 · answer #7 · answered by CRISTIE C 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You definitely did the right thing. He will have a much happier life in the wild then he ever would in an aquarium. Usually releasing captive pets is a death sentence, because their immune systems just can't handle the natural world. However, since he was not in captivity for very long, he should be able to adjust just fine.
2007-02-27 05:10:16 · answer #8 · answered by snake_girl85 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hi :) You did the right thing but you should have taken him/her to the vets to get him checked before you kept him/her as it could have carried desieses! Apart from that you did the right thing. He will get along with the other turtles and he/she may even have kids :) Thanx for doing all this for now to be a very happy turtle!
Thanx
2007-02-27 06:52:06 · answer #9 · answered by lovemaster1995p 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That was very responsible of you to let him go. And yes he will do fine there as long as an animal doesn't eat him or anything but that's nature most babies don't survive. But what you did was the right thing and hopefully he will live a long happy life and have lots of babies!
2007-02-27 05:40:20 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋