Do terrapins forget how do hunt after being released?

Question

I am thinking of getting a small pet terrapin for my nephew, But he will release it when its older. So, as the question says; Will it??

Answer 1

DO NOT GET A TURTLE WITH THE INTENT OF RELEASING IT LATER!!!!
Here is what would happen if you release your turtle into the wild:
-If they are not native to the area, they could become established pests and disrupt the ecosystem, as has happened with red-eared sliders throughout the world.
-If they ARE native to the area, genetic pollution would occur when they breed with local specimens.
-They could introduce diseases to the local turtles
-They may not survive the new habitat

Releasing captive reptiles into the wild has caused problems throughout the world, yet people still continue to do it. Why? Ignorance, I guess.
DO NOT RELEASE THE TURTLE!
Get a pet that you are willing to care for throughout its life.

Answer 2

Releases should happen within 8 months, and occur within a mile of the home site. it is not just knowing how to hunt (which it will not forget), it is knowing where to hunt in the place, where to find shelter or mates, where to hide from what kind of predator, etc.

There are also disease issues (it will have picked up and become partially immune to many human-borne illnesses which the wild turtles will quickly pick up and possibly die from).

Does releasing it serve any purpose for the species or the wld? in this case, no- it would not breed or add to the population- all it would do is take away resources from others who can, and possibly infect them.

Would it be happier in a strange place like that as an adult? Probably not. Would you like to be dropped somewhere totally strange to you? Heck- is the poor thing even going to be native to your lacation?

As a pet keeper, I strongly feel that if you cannot keep the pet as an adult, you should not keep it as a baby. Some turtles, like the all-too-common Red-ear Slider, is HUGE as an adult and hard to keep- but other turtles, like the Painted Turtle or Spotted Turtle are much smaller and easier to keep as adults.

For more info, try http://www.austisnturtlepage.com