ok unlike alot of people who have answered one of your same 3 questions i disgree with them. DO NOT take it to an animal shelter. that is plain stupid if someone posted that you should, they are dumb and you should not listen to them. just simply release it in the wild. perferably around where you found it because there maybe some water source unknown to you. they won't stray too far from it. secondly only if there is something wrong with it. sores weird white patches etc should you take it to a shelter where tehy can treat it and release it. don't take it to a family petstore if you have one that accepts animals and don't take it to a animal shleter for lost dogs or strays it must be a wild animal shelter or in the wild. don't keep it or do anything else to it.
to everyone else if your one of those people that said take it to a shelter either shame on you, you're dumb or you shouldn't inncorrectly answer questions here. only answer if you actually know what you're talking about. don't make stuff up that you may read somewhere else here or what sounds good to you.
you asked "what do i do ?" this is what you do. not tanks no heat lamps no uv lights. release.
2007-04-19 17:40:22
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answer #1
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answered by Akkaiden 3
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Take it back and release it where you found it. Off well off the road, and in the direction it was headed.
SOME REASONS WHY NOT TO KEEP IT:
Wild turtles do not make good pets for inexperienced people
Wild turtles stress in captivity and many times will refuse to eat until the starve themselves to death. Captive stress also adversely affects their immune system and they can get opportunistic infections just because of that.
It will take more work to provide this turtle's natural wild diet than I'm sure you have time or money for. It does not eat lettuce in the wild. It eats live and dead things that smell.
Snappers stress more than others, are aggressive and do not like people. You are asking to get hurt real bad sooner or later if you do not have experience. They can take off a finger or two.
In many states snappers are regulated by wildlife agencies and you need to have a permit to catch them. In some cities keeping such an animal requires additional permits.
Reptiles require expensive UVB lighting in captivity or large outdoor enclosures.
Snappers get VERY BIG, and like I said, have attitude.
You have kidnapped it from it's natural habitat and it is not happy.
It might be a female who is looking for a safe place to dig anest and lay eggs. If a female turtle does not feel safe she will not lay the eggs and will end up getting egg bound, or the eggs could die as she is trying to keep them inside her, this can result in illness which will kill her too.
If it is a female and she did happen to lay eggs, you don't have near the experience to keep from killing baby turtles.
The loss of just one turtle has a tremendous impact on local turtle populations because turtles reproduce slowly. It will take decades for the area to catch up with that loss...if it ever does.
2007-04-20 07:09:27
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answer #2
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answered by Fireside3/Phrynosoma-Texas 4
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Please, don't keep the turtle. Snappers have a tendancy to be mean and they do not acclimate well to captivity. I don't think you should take it back to exactly where you found it, either--roads are very dangerous places for any animal, especially slow-moving chenalonians (turtles and tortoises), and you should definately not take it to a dog/cat shelter, because the chances are they will euthanize it just for being wild and possibly carrying diseases. But, I would like to offer you a compromise.
You can take it to a lake or stream on protected government property and release it, turn it over to fish & game services and let them place it, or you can do a little research and fina an organization that rescues, relocates and rehabilitates wild animals/reptiles. One of these three would be your best bet. I'd offer to come get it and relocate it, but I'm willing to wager you're on the opposite side of the country (I'm in CA; there are no snappers here).I will, however, give you the weblink to my organization, which has links to rescues that I'm sure are just a little closer to you than I am, and some of them do wild rescue/relocation. Please look them up. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/dragon_sanctuary/ and go to the links page.
Please, please PLEASE do not keep the snapper. Snappers get very large and have nasty tempers, and even captive pred ones are hard to maintain and house (they have to have a multi-hundred gallon pond when full grown). If you want a turtle, contact a rescue and adopt one or buy one from a pet store, but please do your reasearch before taking one on, because no turtle is easy to care for and they're lives are worth more than minimal care. Please think about this carefuly, and let the snapper go. Thank you, and he will too.
2007-04-20 01:25:38
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answer #3
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answered by sanctuary_of_the_dragon 3
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Call WIRES, you will find the number in yellow pages. Turtles are very hard to look after, they're water needs to be kept at a certain temp. They need UV rays. You need to apply for a Reptile licence, and you cannot keep a wild animal. Call them asap other wise he is going to stress out and die. And do not feed him any more, they only need to be fed every few days,and he should be fed under the water otherwise he cannot digest the food.
2007-04-19 23:47:02
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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PLEASE put it back! You do not know the species, so cannot give it the right care- if it is a box turtle, they don't like water, and no turtle should eat lettuce and hot dogs,
Wild turtles do a LOT better in the wild than they do in captivity.
If you insist on keeping it, you can find out what kind it is and what it needs at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com
2007-04-20 16:41:26
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answer #5
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answered by Madkins007 7
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Take him back to where you found him and let him go and make sure he takes off away from the road. If you try to keep him and you don't know how to take care of him, he's just going to end up dying. He's going to get sick, or he's going to be too scared to eat, if you even know what to feed him. He needs to be near water because he's cold-blooded and he needs to keep his body temperature at a certain point. If you don't provide the proper environment, he will get sick and die.
Just let him go, he's probably scared and just wants to be back in the wild.
Let him run free! Free like the wind, free like the eagles that soar high in the sky, free like the cheetah on the plain, free like the snake in the tree, free like the spider in its web, free like a convict who broke out of jail!!!
FREEEEE!!!!!
2007-04-19 23:21:59
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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You can keep him if the law allows in your state.
You will need an aquarium about 4-5 times his size so he has room to swim and move around.
fill the aquarium at one end with stones and then add water so that he can submurge himself. They eat feeder fish, small insects, some eat grass. they can eat lettuce, cut up veggies, and fruits.
They also need to be atleast room temperature, and shouldn't be kept where it gets to cold.
Here in NY state where I live, they have to have a shell of atleast 3 inches or they are illegal to have. Turtles have a
poison in them and are a threat to small children who will sometimes put them in their mouths. So be careful if there are small children around your turtle.
2007-04-20 02:54:02
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answer #7
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answered by Lisa R 3
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Put it back where you found it, but off to the side of the road in a protected area. Let Mother Nature take care of her own.
2007-04-19 23:10:38
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answer #8
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answered by The Hiker 3
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Keep feeding it lettuce ( probably not hot dogs), and contact your local wildlife rescue. They have the proper resources to deal with it.
2007-04-19 23:13:54
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answer #9
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answered by ilovecows. 1
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OK.......I have had this happen. You are doing good........you can maybe find a lil creek or lake to take it to. If there is no where to take it outdoors.......try to find a shelter that takes in wild animals and maybe you can give the turtle to people there.
2007-04-19 23:35:18
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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