Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently saved a turtle from being smashed on a busy rural street it's dark green with yellow stripes I know nothing about turtles so I worried when he wasn't eating. I went to the local pet store and was told that it was time for him to hibernate. I live in Weld county which is in northern Colorado, is there anything I can do to make his big sleep more comfortable?

First: don't let him go. He's almost certainly a red-eared slider and not native to Colorado. You found him out there because (almost certainly) somebody else let him go. They got tired of him and just released him... “a stranger in a strange land,” so to speak.

Next: if you are not really wanting to keep him yourself, there are a number of organizations that will help to find a home for him. Check the “Rescue” forum here at Kingsnake.

in the meantime....get him in several inches of water and make a pile of rocks so he can leave the water ocassionally. And keep him warm..generally between 70 and 90. Try fruit, bugs, worms fish or boiled chicken to get him eating.

As Odyssey said there are a few places around the country that take in turtles but they may want you to pay a fee to send him there as red eared sliders are very hard to adopt out to others. You will likely also have to ship it.

If you decide to keep it you can ask here or at kingsnake's red eared slider forum for information about how to keep it alive.

Did you try feeding him on land or in water. If he is a slider or other aquatic (and from his description he is) he will not eat on dry land. Give him a tub with some water to swim in and see if he will eat for you. Try some reptomin, krill perhaps an earthworm or cricket and even some greens like Chicory or dandelion greens.