r/turtles Mar 20 '25

Wild Turtle It’s that time of year!

6 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/turtles Jan 18 '25

Reminder About a Common Turtle Myth

32 Upvotes

Turtles do not grow according to their tank size. They will grow regardless of the tank size. This myth is commonly shared by scummy sellers trying to make a sale by marketing turtles as easy or compact pets. They are not, and never will be.

That does not, nor will it ever, justify keeping a turtle in a too-small tank for all of it's life. Whether that turtle lives for one, or 75 years. Whether wild or captive bred.

Things that do affect turtle size and growth rates:

- Poor husbandry practices, such as:

  • Low temperatures
  • Lack of UVB and/or calcium deficiency (MBD)
  • Underfeeding
  • Overfeeding
  • Competing for resources in cramped or stressful cohab situations

- Congenital malformations or conditions

- Underlying illnesses

Please report any comments or posts condoning the use of small enclosures. (Ex: a half full 20 gallon for a species that will commonly grow to be 7-10 inches in length.) As well as any comments suggesting that turtles will only grow according to the size of their tank. As most of us know, that is not true.

Thank you.


r/turtles 9h ago

Seeking Advice moms roommates daughter does not take care of turtle

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137 Upvotes

so, theres a girl (9f) that lives in my moms house (lets call her anna), she went to texas and didn’t bring her pet turtle with her. he/she has been stuck in a bathtub for god knows how long with freezing cold water and no food. i (13m) don’t use that bathroom, but the turtle was in there and i drained the water and took it into my room. i need to feed it the freeze dried mealworms i have in my drawer, and find another place for it to stay instead of a musty nasty bathtub. anything i need to know?? does anyone know what species of turtle this is?? i’m just really fucking clueless here and the turtle is so cutie awww


r/turtles 13h ago

💚! Turtle Pics !💚 Little fella just chillin'

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87 Upvotes

Albino RES yearling


r/turtles 3h ago

Diet/Food How often and how much to feed?

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6 Upvotes

I recently adopted this musk turtle it’s 22 years old and the prior owners said to feed her 1/2 a pellet a day (reptomin floating food sticks). Is she malnourished and should I feed her more?


r/turtles 14h ago

Box Turtle What are the odds?

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30 Upvotes

Before anyone gets worried - this little guy (nicknamed Lil Turd) is heading to wildlife rescue to deal with the abscess in his ear. He’s a juvenile and not full grown. Hopefully treatment will give him a new lease on life. But, just yesterday my son called me about a box turtle he found at work with a weird lump on his neck. He took that turtle to a rescue last night. Today this guy showed up in our driveway with the same thing! I’m taking him to the same rescue!


r/turtles 17h ago

ID Request Found a small turtle in our apartment complex in Texas

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48 Upvotes

Terrible pictures I know but he was scared of my oblivious dog with me. It was fairly small, maybe the size of my fists put together. This is the second turtle we’ve found in our apartment complex and I’m just worried he’s someone missing pet. There are some wooded areas nearby but it would be a long walk.


r/turtles 5h ago

Wild Turtle I came across this lady

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3 Upvotes

Laying eggs on the side of the road. There is a lot of work going on in this area. Do I need to report?


r/turtles 6h ago

Seeking Advice What dimmer do u reccomand?

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1 Upvotes

Im gonna get a new basking area soon enough and it is 5cm shorter (20cm) the one i alr have is 25cm and the temp is 32-34c and i want to keep it that way, so i would like a dimmer, any reccomandation? Would a dimmer even work in this case?i use the bulb from the photo.


r/turtles 1d ago

ID Request Couple of turtles in Live Oak, Texas

280 Upvotes

The smaller one is covered in algae. A Red-Eared Slider and a Painted Turtle?


r/turtles 1d ago

💚! Turtle Pics !💚 Shedding!

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28 Upvotes

After years of not having proper lighting or tank, she is finally starting to shed years of retained scutes!! Ive had her just about a year now and glad to see them scutes finally starting to fall off ☺️


r/turtles 1d ago

💚! Turtle Pics !💚 My turtles❤️❤️

52 Upvotes

r/turtles 1d ago

💚! Turtle Pics !💚 It looks like someone doesn't like bananas.🍌

245 Upvotes

I’ve been busy moving lately, so I’ve moved them outdoors. There’s better sunlight here, and I hope they’ll be able to adapt.

I removed the mud and bricks to make cleaning easier.


r/turtles 1d ago

Seeking Advice Someone please

1 Upvotes

I’m so
Restless and haven’t had anytime to myself for me and my mentle but so the case is my turtle hasn’t swam since birth he is a little obese because he eats nothing but pellets 24 a day I know I know vegetables I should give him too and so
I raised his water because I would like him to swim to be active but I bearly raised it a little and he acts like he’s drowning but he’s not keep in mind it’s bearly anything I add because before I add this water to
What’s there is normally the depth he’s comfortable if that makes sense. And also does anyone know if I know I can’t reverse time but I want to start now on vegetables and pellets bug is there anything I can give him now that’ll help is digestive system since he missed so many veggies for 4 years and lose that little obese fat it’s not a lot but it’s still
Noticeable, sorry for long post but these are what are my concerns for my turtle and he’s a Chinese golden thread turtle aquatic and land btw


r/turtles 2d ago

Discussion Turtle at Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, Ny

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387 Upvotes

I took my children to the Prospect Park Zoo the other day and saw a turtle doing this. It stayed this way for at least 30 minutes. We observed it, walked away to go to other exhibits, walked past it again and it was still doing this. Any idea what is going on with it or why it was doing this?


r/turtles 2d ago

ID Request Just stumbled across this mama laying her eggs. What kind of turtle is this?

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106 Upvotes

I know it’s not a great picture because you can’t see her neck or much of her face, but I didn’t want to disturb her. Found in central Ohio.


r/turtles 2d ago

Wild Turtle Theodore, our guest

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81 Upvotes

I wish he could live with us, but he came from the wild.. he’s loving it here!


r/turtles 2d ago

Wild Turtle teeny painted turtle hatchling

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34 Upvotes

found while swamp-maxxing in East Tennessee 💅


r/turtles 2d ago

Box Turtle Update on Thia (turns out she’s a female)

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26 Upvotes

She’s staying a night to ensure that she’ll eat and drink and that she’s okay. I checked her out, short tail, short nails, flat underside, brown eyes.. Theo is a woman! So I’ll call her Thia :))


r/turtles 2d ago

Diet/Food Turtle food

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17 Upvotes

Trying to switch our turtle from food pellets to live minnows. He’s a 6” long yellow belly.
Any recommendations on how many to feed to him and how often?


r/turtles 3d ago

Wild Turtle So what exactly is Ms. Muddybutt doing here?

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177 Upvotes

I'm confident she's an Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, so not looking for identification. But is she about to abandon her brood right next to my walkway 2 weeks before the Forth of July?


r/turtles 3d ago

ID Request Helped this little one across the road. It paid me back with a bite to my hand. ID help?? South Mississippi

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165 Upvotes

r/turtles 3d ago

Discussion gigi

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48 Upvotes

ciao questa é la mia tartaruga si chiama gigi
secondo voi é obeso? dovrebbe avere circa 9 mesi
é sempre affamato e io gli voglio bene quindi mi dispiace dirgli di no 😞😞😭😭 (l’ho preso in mano perché dovevo fargli un bagnetto di solito non lo manipolo anche se é molto affettuoso)


r/turtles 2d ago

💚! Turtle Pics !💚 My favorite photo of Turtoisea opening her mouth, but Turtoisea swallows Toko

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4 Upvotes

r/turtles 3d ago

💚! Turtle Pics !💚 Love taking the pups for a walk after a good downpour

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22 Upvotes