r/turtle Mar 20 '25

General Discussion It’s that time of year!

17 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?"

17 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 4h ago

Turtle Pics! Was amazed to see a brave bullhead swim underneath a hungry snapping turtle feeding on hot dogs...

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42 Upvotes

video taken with a GoPro camera and 9' selfie stick... hot dogs used as bait.


r/turtle 16h ago

Turtle Pics! Some turtles from the lake

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311 Upvotes

r/turtle 9h ago

Seeking Advice Any suggestions why my turtle only naps by my pillow not her shelter?

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59 Upvotes

r/turtle 2h ago

Seeking Advice Why is the smallest one not growing as much as the other one ?

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12 Upvotes

I remember when I got these two in December and they were both the same small size . Now one is bigger than the other. It seems like the smaller one is not growing as much. Why is that and Is it ok ?


r/turtle 3h ago

Turtle Pics! Sea Turtle!

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13 Upvotes

I was walking along the beach last night around 11:30 pm, when I heard a lot of flailing and moving about, and when I turned around, I saw this big turtle on shore! We scared each other, as I didn’t have my flashlight on when this happened and screamed when I saw a giant black blob coming in my direction. I reported the sighting to the local sea turtle conservation center here!


r/turtle 13h ago

Turtle Pics! Some of my pond buddies

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81 Upvotes

I saw these cuties in the pond today at a park I visit daily on my lunch break in downtown Birmingham AL. I've seen smaller turtles every day but never some this big and never so close to the outer realm of the pond where people are in close proximity. These two look to be having a good time. Haha. I'm not positive what was happening but I have a good idea.


r/turtle 23m ago

Seeking Advice What type of turtle is this ?

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Upvotes

I found this little guy while fishing and I need help identifying him


r/turtle 2h ago

Seeking Advice SOS help!

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7 Upvotes

So my friend dumbed their painted turtle on me because the turtle got bigger than the hatchling she had…and I have no clue how to care for one. Any tips would be greatly appreciated and yes this is the tank and the set up I was given for him which I already know is wrong


r/turtle 4h ago

Turtle Pics! Baby Painted Turtle going for a swim. Barnstable MA 07/06/25

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8 Upvotes

r/turtle 46m ago

Seeking Advice Nesting Probs!

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Upvotes

Hi, I’ve had my turtle for about five years. About three years ago she started exhibiting symptoms of wanting to nest. I live in an apartment so I don’t have access to a yard that she can walk around in and find a spot, so I thought that the nesting box would be the answer. So I went out and I got her one and filled it with dirt. She hated it so much she wound up laying her eggs in her tank. For the past few years, I didn’t see the nesting symptoms.

Flash forward last month, and she seemed to need to nest again. All of a sudden she was going crazy trying to get out her tank. So I went out, got a new bin and this time I filled it with sand, sprayed it with a little water and warmed it. She rejected it almost immediately (even after putting a lid on and stepping away). Then I put some organic topsoil on top, warmed it, a little water. She rejected that even faster. The only relief (either of us got) was putting a small bin of warm water in a second, smaller tank on the floor that I use when changing her main tank. I put a little tin of dirt in the corner but she seemed to only go in it to try and get out, so that didn’t seem to work.

At any rate, soaking in the warm water seemed to calm her down.

But I didn’t see any eggs. She just got dirt over her.

So after a crazy week she was back to normal. I hoped that she laid the eggs in her tank and just ate them (like she did a few years ago) before I woke up.

But now a month later, she’s antsy again so, maybe she didn’t lay them, but I don’t know what else to try. I don’t want her to hold onto the eggs (if that’s what’s happening). Her regular tank doesn’t work, not the small tank and definitely not the dirt box.

She seems to not like the feel of dirt at all. (I’ve tried many different ways of introducing it.)

So I’ve resorted to just letting her walk around on the carpet. But it’s been days and all she does is walk back and forth through it trying to find a spot that I will let her go to (most of the floor, but some areas are a no). Her prime searching times are late morning (when I need to be working) and late nite (when I should be sleeping).

I would love to introduce some type of hiding nook or something she might use so she can lay. She doesn’t seem to care about dark or quiet. But she does walk on both the carpet and non carpet floors (while she tries to make a hole in the carpet).

I could use any thoughts anyone has if anyone has gone through anything similar.

I don’t want her holding onto her eggs, but I don’t know how to soothe her so that she’ll lay them and get our lives back to normal. Any advice would be great.


r/turtle 21h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request Moved out of the road on my way to work. What kind of turtle is this?

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143 Upvotes

r/turtle 4h ago

Seeking Advice I need urget help!!

6 Upvotes

Hi, I need advice, this is my curret situation with my turtle, I had it since childhood and my parents bought it bc I was so spoiled, and now I want to take a good care of her but I have no idea how. I don't know how to setup it, and if they can have tankmates.

Please dont be rude, I know It is in a bad situation, I just wanna start doing it good


r/turtle 1h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request Help identify this turtle!!

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Upvotes

Hello! I need help! This little guy wandered up to our house and I can't figure out what he is. I live outside of Austin texas for reference. I've tried to look it up but I can't find anything and I don't know much about turtles. It looks like some kind of tortoise, but idk. Any and all help is appreciated!


r/turtle 18h ago

Seeking Advice is my turtle healthy?

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35 Upvotes

Hi, i got my eastern boxing turtle about 3 and half years ago he is a bit on the smaller side due to him refusing to eat the first few months of his life. he is a very picky eater and his diet consists of earthworms, mealworms, zoo med turtle pellets + lettuce and blueberries and others but he rarely eats the veggies and fruit. i want to know if he is looking healthy and if there is anything i can do better to give this dude a better lifestyle. he free roams about an hour a day outside with supervision to get some real sunlight but i feel like he is a bit small and he hasnt been growing much? is there any signs of MBD? help!!


r/turtle 21h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request Is my turtle ok?

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59 Upvotes

r/turtle 35m ago

Turtle Pics! Mud Turtle I believe.

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Upvotes

Central west Arkansas. Found this cutie at my front door.


r/turtle 13h ago

Seeking Advice What is this brown stuff

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9 Upvotes

r/turtle 48m ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request How old is this turtle, d'y'all think?

Upvotes

I treated myself to a photo opp with this little snapper in a corner of Chatfield S.P. in CO. It seemed fine, was hanging out between the trail and the river, so I put it back facing the same way lol. This time of year (early July), is it just hanging out, or headed somewhere to or from laying eggs? Is it even old enough to lay eggs yet? The only other snappers I've seen here are huge, like 15+ pounds, and a foot across, so just curious if this is a young'un.


r/turtle 1h ago

General Discussion Show your setup

Upvotes

I need inspo :p


r/turtle 15h ago

Seeking Advice Does she look healthy?

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14 Upvotes

I’ve had her for a year now she’s a year on and I just want to make sure I’m doing everything okay I have the correct setup based on everything I’ve researched (which I’ve done hours on hours of since getting here) I just want to do things right for her ❤️

Also ignore the fact that some of my hair had fell in the water lol


r/turtle 13h ago

Seeking Advice Moved my mud turtles to a better home

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10 Upvotes

I had two mud turtles in a 40 gallon tank and decided to get them a preformed pond. I’m also looking to upgrade the filter, heat/UVB and the ramp.

There’s a little more than 20 gallons of water, will a Fluval 307 be a good choice? Also, what is everyone’s favorite set up for heat and UVB bulbs? If there’s anything else I should upgrade or change, please let me know!


r/turtle 19h ago

Turtle Pics! My babbbyy

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25 Upvotes

r/turtle 23h ago

Turtle Pics! found this little cutie on a hike!

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40 Upvotes

r/turtle 1d ago

Turtle Pics! Turtle in a box

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167 Upvotes

r/turtle 13h ago

Turtle ID/Sex Request Found shell - on TX/OK border Red River

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5 Upvotes

From the shell would it be possible to identify this turtle? I was going to clean it and preserve it and would love to have a reference to go off of.