Reptile & Amphibian Forums

... how should I transport him? Cats and dogs are easy, but my Turtle... well... he's a bit on the helpless side. Should I put him in something specific? I think a box just seems cruel somehow, but I can't think of any other way to bring him to the vets office.

I'm lucky, it seems there are a few very good vets that take Turtles in the Washington DC area. I'm basically picking the vets office that didn't "hmmm" and "ummm" when I called and asked if they treat Aquatic Turtles. Plus, of the 2 vets I narrowed down to, both were on different lists that was linked from postings on this website. I came to my decision based on distance & traffic.

He's shedding scutes and I think is going thru a growth spurt (if they do that). Otherwise, he seems to be a very happy turtle. He's ignoring food pellets in favor of fresh fish. That's okay because I'm planning on introducing him to veggies soon.

You can use a Tupperware or Rubbermaid container, with damp paper towels in the bottom. If you want, you can use a hot screwdriver or knife to put small holes near the top of the container, working from the inside to the outside of the container so that there are no sharp edges on the inside. I heat a knife or screwdriver on the stove to make the holes. You can put the Rubbermaid container into another box or wrap it in a towel if transporting in cool weather.

Dr. Stahl is in northern VA, and Dr. Boyd and Dr. Gold are in Baltimore. Dr. Ryan is in Westminster. Those are probably the best recommended vets. Dr. Rhody is in Laurel and is good with turtles.

Katrina

Thanks!!! I have a gladware container I put Mike in whenever I'm doing anything major to his tank. I figured I would transport him in that, but didn't know about the damp paper towel.

Dr. Rhody is the doctor I had chosen to be Mike's vet. My dog/cat vet office recommended Dr. Stahl, but Dr. Stahl is just too far for me to go because of the traffic dynamic of my area. Both doctors are equal distance from where I live, yet Dr. Rhody would take a 1/3 of the time to travel to then Dr. Stahl.

>>You can use a Tupperware or Rubbermaid container, with damp paper towels in the bottom. If you want, you can use a hot screwdriver or knife to put small holes near the top of the container, working from the inside to the outside of the container so that there are no sharp edges on the inside. I heat a knife or screwdriver on the stove to make the holes. You can put the Rubbermaid container into another box or wrap it in a towel if transporting in cool weather.
>>
>>Dr. Stahl is in northern VA, and Dr. Boyd and Dr. Gold are in Baltimore. Dr. Ryan is in Westminster. Those are probably the best recommended vets. Dr. Rhody is in Laurel and is good with turtles.
>>
>>Katrina

Personally, I like boxes for transport. They are dark inside and I think the turtles are less stressed if in the dark. I think it would scare them more if they could see what's going on around them, seeing strange surroundings and all. Being dry for a few hours will not hurt a water turtle. Put papers or dry towels in the box. Some shredded paper would allow him to hide and feel more secure.

Thanks!!! I have noticed that Mike gets startled easily. And he just loves to hide. Really cute seeing that little head peeking out from underneath greenery or ledges. Turtles must have really strong hearts.

>>Personally, I like boxes for transport. They are dark inside and I think the turtles are less stressed if in the dark. I think it would scare them more if they could see what's going on around them, seeing strange surroundings and all. Being dry for a few hours will not hurt a water turtle. Put papers or dry towels in the box. Some shredded paper would allow him to hide and feel more secure.

Depends on how old he is. If it's a hatchling, I'd like a damp substrate. Damp sphagnum moss is good for transporting hatchlings.

Katrina

He's definately not a hatchling, but young (only 2 1/2 inches). He's a wild caught turtle that has passed thru several hands before I took him. I was planning on releasing until I found out that I can't just do that, I would have had to find out where he came from. I'm not even sure which state he was picked up from (it could be VA, PA, MD or DE). I personally don't believe in taking anything from nature and making into a pet, but I couldn't just put him out and expect him to be happy where ever I put him. Don't turtles have a natural homing signal?

I really want to make sure he is healthy, roughly his age, whether or not he's a she, basically anything that might be wrong just in case. I tend to be slightly obsessive about anything I take on, hence finding this forum.

>>Depends on how old he is. If it's a hatchling, I'd like a damp substrate. Damp sphagnum moss is good for transporting hatchlings.
>>
>>Katrina

Is he a red-eared slider? If so, he's not native, and therefor not eligable for release any way. Yellowbelly sliders are native to VA, but not to MD, DE, or PA. Even though they're not native, we have lots of sliders here in MD (released or escaped pets), so it's possible to find a hatchling slider in MD.

At 2-3 inches, you still might want to try damp sphagnum moss in a Rubbermaid. He can burry down in that.

Katrina

Oh, at his size, it's likely too early to determine gender. Three to four inches is when you should start to see a difference.

Katrina