Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello.
I caught 2 small painted turtles in early July and placed them in my pond. About 2 weeks ago one of them vanished. Do you think something got it? Or did it just escape? There are no signs that anything got to it and the pond is 30 inches deep. But why would the turtle leave? Especially since there are not many bodies of water within a mile radius. I didnt think small ones would leave. Today I saw the the other one outside the pond basking. Which means he can get out as well. A couple years ago I caught a small one and it stayed there that whole summer. I kept him inside in the winter but the following summer he vanished. I am disappointed.

As you can see from the pictures below, these turtles are small.
Judging by the size, how old do you think they are?
And, are these eastern or midland painted turtles and can you determine the sex? One the first picture, the turtle on top is still in the pond, the one on the bottom isnt.

Oops. It didnt accept my html.

Here are the links:

http://pictures.danambrose.com/images/mid_DSC00345.JPG

and

http://danambrose.com/images/turtle1.jpg

You should build a fence around the outside of the pond so they can't get out. You should also get some netting for over the top so wild animals can't get to them.
These turtles are hatchlings witch means they are only weeks old. They are too small to tell their sex but if I had to guess I would say the one that got away (if that's the one in your hand picture) is a boy because of the long tail and the other is a girl because of the short tail. You will be able to tell their sex more when they get older. Good luck finding the other guy but I am pretty sure he has been eaten by now since he's so small. I don't know what kind of painteds they are, someone else might be able to tell you but I think it would be easier if you had a belly shot.