I need help!!!

Thompson

Thompson

Chameleon Enthusiast
Well I was driving around today and almost ran over a dang turtle on the road! I think it's a tortoise but it also looks like one of those turtles you see in ponds and what not(though there was no pond or body of water around). I can post a pic real soon at the moment I'm not home but this turtle/toirtose has a black shell, yellow and orange markings on it's face and I think its shedding because the shell is a little flaky. Can anyone guess what type of turtle it is by my description? I'll post pics as soon as possible.
 
Yeah their shells often look flaky when they're out of water for a while. If it's really dry his pond may have dried up too much so he was seeking a new one. Or if it's been rainy they wander during the rainy times because it's going to be easier to find new water sources and spread their genetics. Sounds like an aquatic species but that's the best I can do without a pic. :D
 
That could be an explanation to the flaky shell. I've been searching on google for a turtle species from Nevada that matches your description. About how long is it (the shell)? is the shell smooth or bumpy? soft or hard? plain black or other coloration? Rough scales on the feet or smooth?
 
ferretinmyshoes said:
Yeah their shells often look flaky when they're out of water for a while. If it's really dry his pond may have dried up too much so he was seeking a new one. Or if it's been rainy they wander during the rainy times because it's going to be easier to find new water sources and spread their genetics. Sounds like an aquatic species but that's the best I can do without a pic. :D
Click to expand...
Yes it was raining a little today. I think he may have come from a park about a mile or two away but that seems pretty far and risky for a turtle!

VeiledChams said:
That could be an explanation to the flaky shell. I've been searching on google for a turtle species from Nevada that matches your description. About how long is it (the shell)? is the shell smooth or bumpy? soft or hard? plain black or other coloration? Rough scales on the feet or smooth?
Click to expand...
I'd say the shell is about 7" long. It is mostly black but after dusting it off a bit I can see a little bit of brown. His scales on his feet are rough. He has a beak like mout with two long redish-orange stripes on both sides of his face. His shell is bumpy.
 
Hmm, bumpy water turtle shell? They're usually very smooth shelled...unless it's an escaped/released pet that was in poor condition. Tortoises may have somewhat bumpy shells, but they don't ever have any colorful streaks on the neck - that's a water turtle trait. Any pics yet? The curiosity is killing me!
 
Lol sorry I'm not home and I'm on my iPhone so I can't post the pics yet. Sorry!! I think that I'm going to take him to this big park with a large pond and let him go. I'll take a pic and send it to my email and upload it when I get home though.
 
ferretinmyshoes said:
Hmm, bumpy water turtle shell? They're usually very smooth shelled...unless it's an escaped/released pet that was in poor condition. Tortoises may have somewhat bumpy shells, but they don't ever have any colorful streaks on the neck - that's a water turtle trait. Any pics yet? The curiosity is killing me!
Click to expand...

That's what has me confused.. from the color patterns it could be a yellow/red footed tortoise, but those get big and they dont have webbed feet. I'm searching through turtle and tortoise breeders and havent found anything.
 
The link didn't work /: it said no matches every time I clicked search. I think this turtle is a red eared slider( correct name?)
 
Awesome it helped you out ferret ;)

I had seen the red eared slider, but saying the shell is bumpy i was picturing something like a leopard tortoise whose shell is quite bumpy.

Isn't the red eared slider the same one that is sold at a pet store? They carry salmonella and are illegal to sell (here in florida at least) but there is a loophole in the law so any pet store you go to has them.
 
Thompson said:
Yep it looks like the slider. His shell isn't nearly as brown though.
Click to expand...

Woohoo success! Depending on their age and environment (and algae cover) the shell can range from green to brown. There are a few types of sliders so even if it's not a red-eared it's still definitely a water turtle and any pond in a safe area should be fine to release him in. :)

VeiledChams said:
Isn't the red eared slider the same one that is sold at a pet store? They carry salmonella and are illegal to sell (here in florida at least) but there is a loophole in the law so any pet store you go to has them.
Click to expand...

They are wild just about everywhere as well as sold in petstores. Most reptiles carry salmonella but the problem with these guys is they are sold so small that little kids were putting them in their mouths and getting sick (not kidding!), thus prompting a huge salmonella awareness campaign and legal restrictions against selling any turtles less than 4" in diameter to literally discourage toddlers munching on turtles! In most states a turtle over 4" is legal to sell. Good hygiene limits salmonella transmission effectively, but turtle to the mouth was hard to control. ;)
 
Ok I'm on my way right now to the park with the pond, I've seen turtles inthe pond that look like him. I'll still post the pics when I get home. Thank you to you both for the help! :)
 
Well here is the best pic I got of him taken with hom phone. He went into the pond and quickly swam away :) Glad I could help him out!

foundturtle.jpg


sorry the pic won't flip :eek:
 
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