So Lady Chance has the day off to decompress. She’s out before 7 driving around and hiking and looking for rocks to paint. I stay home screwing around on the SD.
Suddenly, the door flies open!
“I’ve got something for you!”, she cries.
She’s carrying a top to a box of copy paper…you know the sort.
And inside is a baby box turtle! She was driving through Purcellville and he was trying to walk across Main Street, a not-so-healthy habit even for adult turtles.
I’ve got him here on my desk right now! He’s about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and I’ve fed him some blueberries. Munch, munch, munch!
We’ll kick him loose later due to the salmonella risk. But I’m going to make sure that Baby Kate gets to see him first!
We’ll put some up, never you worry! Just gotta fire up the camera and FTP program. Give me time.
Aww…he’s fallen asleep.
dan, all small turtles are potential salmonella carriers. That’s why you don’t see them in pet stores much anymore. I think the size limit is ‘less than 4 inches in diameter’ or something like that. At least that was the rule in Iowa when I was teaching (grad school) there. The pet shops could carry small turtles but it required a ‘Teacher ID’ to purchase them. And they could only be bought for classroom use.
I don’t claim to understand how they grow out of it.
Got a special treat this past weekend - lots of time with an eight-week-old female beagle puppy named Piper. She still has puppy breath and the cutest little howl!
Awww! I demand pictures! {b]Jonathan Chance**, you and your wife are wonderful people to help out a turtle in need.
About the salmonella risk…all reptiles are potential carriers of salmonella, regardless of size or age. It is standard operating equipment for your basic reptile to have some salmonella as gut flora. There’s about 8000 (I think) different strains, and only a few are dangerous to humans, the most lethal being Salmonella typhi, which reptiles almost never carry. Think of it this way: we mammals carry around e. coli, the herps have got salmonella.
The reason I was given by a dept. of fish and wildlife member was that, no kidding, turtles 4-inches or under are no longer sold in pet stores because little kids were putting the turtles in their mouths and contracting salmonella. Now this is just hearsay, mind you, but it does give one pause.
Always wash your hands thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap after handling a reptile, its bedding or cage furnishing; never allow a reptile near your food, cooking utensils, counter surfaces, etc., and don’t let children handle reptiles unsupervised. Actually, this is good advice for any animal, regardless of species. Those most at risk for contracting salmonella are the very young or old, or those with a compromised immune system. Healthy adults stand almost no risk whatsoever of contracting the disease via reptile contact. Salmonella infection usually manifests with symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. You are far more likely to contract a salmonella infection from eating improperly cooked poultry or dairy products. Check out the CDC website for more information.
I remember when I was about 13 or 14, our two dachshunds were making an awful racket out in the back yard at about 7AM. I went out there to see what all the fuss was about, and was accosted by a rather LARGE turtle. I have no clue how he got in the yard, as everything is fenced in, but he was up on all fours, hissing at the dogs. He was too big to put in a shoebox, (and definitely too big to fit in my mouth :D) so we ended up putting him in a milk crate and carted him back to the woods. (My mother put her foot down about keeping him, as we already had 2 dogs, 3 cats, 4 fish, and a parakeet.) We set him free a little ways away from a pond, where I’m assuming he went on to live a happy life.
Ratty is right about reptiles and salmonella, and I have also heard the same reasoning for the 4-inch rule. The only aversion I have to turtles is that their poop is REALLY stinky, which is why we no longer have one in the house. If you decide to keep him, change his water several times a day, get a heat lamp for over the aquarium and make sure he has shelter so he can get away from the heat if he wants. IME, turtles very much like strawberries and spinach.
I live next to a wooded area with a creek, and frequently Momma turtles lay eggs in our yard. Every spring, we’re out there walking ahead of the lawn mower and scooping up the babies in styrofoam cups. We don’t mess with them, we just give them a faster trip to the creek.
