hi i got a qustion,, i don't no much about red ears but i got 2 large ones from someone,,,and they told me i can not let them go because they have been in captive to long and wont no how to eat and take there winter nap, and they wont no what to do in the wild,,,,,,,,,when i got them the other day and they looked like they need some real sun light to me so,,,since they were in a fish tank,,, i got them in this little kids pool outside and been out there since and the look like they no what to do in the wild they catch gold fish they bask in the sun and when they see you they dive in to the water to me they look ready to go back to the wild ,,,,,,,but is this true about being in captive and what do you think? should i keep them or set them free?
thanks for your time
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qustion about letting red ears go in the wild
Replies (28)
These animals are already used to human interaction no matter how they act around you. These animals are not capable of making it in the wild. If you donot feel you can take care of it, which is how I am taking this considering your question, you should find somebody else to take them. Donot set your pets loose!! Morons doing this is what is causing ALOT of the anti-herp legislation we are facing now. If you cannot properly keep the animal and it has even CROSSED YOUR MIND to set them free, do us all a favor and find them another home with someone who will take care of them.
Chris
Do not let these turtles go, but for a different reason. We don't know what they were kept with since they were hatched, so we don't know if they could be carriers of a diseas (bacteria, virus, fungus, parasite) that could harm native turtles, fish, or predators/scavengers that could eat the turtles. Remember carriers can appear healthy but harbor a disease.
Also, they likely aren't native to your area, and although they originate from the south, they are a very hardy species that has become a pest in many parts of the world. They grow big, breed fast and often, and eat just about anything, so they can out-compete some native species for resources.
They do survive many different environments, from the northeastern US to Washington state, and even in Japan and England. That's part of the problem - they do too well in non-native areas. The original poster was right - they will revert back to a wild state pretty easily in most cases, and will hibernate naturally if they have enough time to acclimate to a new pond before winter sets in. That's called "feral" when a captive animal reverts back to a wild state. We have feral house cats in many urban areas of the US, feral farm pigs in the south, and feral sliders just about everywhere.
If you can find someone with a FENCED-IN backyard with at least a 300 gallon pond, and are sure that the turtles can't escape the yard, then you could let them go before September or October, but releasing them into anything other than a backyard enclosure could be breaking the law in many states, due to the risk of native wildlife and fisheries.
Katrina
np
ok thanks for the info, i guess they will be staying around till someone got a good home for them,if they ever do i don't mind keeping them around they are pretty cool to watch, i got them in a kids pool out back, and the last few evenings we ben back there watching them, i got it covered with half shade so they don't get to hot thanks for all the info
tjsreptiles
are you also providing them a place to get out of the water and bask?
just a question
If you finally decide you cannot keep them and cannot find someone else to take them, please euthanize them rather than releasing them.
The best way is to have it done at a vet.
The home method is to put them in a container and put in the freezer.
Keep our native wildlife safe, NEVER release pets into the wild.
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While I agree that if one absolutely cannot keep a pet and if there are no qualified homes to be found in a given time frame, that euthansia is a consideration, freezing a turlte that large is not euthansia, it's inhumane. Only someone experienced with reptile euthansia should be doing it, such as a qualified vet or technician.
Freezing is often an "old school" mentality, and it can be painful for large reptiles.
Katrina
If you freeze the turtle you are no better than the moron wildlife agents that recently froze live a false water cobra in Athens, Alabama. It is very inhumane to freeze a live animal. This causes a very slow and painful death to the animal due to crystalization of it's blood and tissue.
Proper vet euthenazia is the best and the ONLY way it should be done.
Best Wishes,
Chris
ok, try comparing the other FREE euthanasia methods
1. Freezing
2. Hammer
3. automobile
4. fire
5. concrete block
6. axe
7. suffocation
8. drowning
Usually the people who are setting their pets loose are doing so because they dont want to spend money to take care of them. Do you really think they are going to pay $50 to put em down?
I only offer freezing as a free alternative, because I believe it is nicer than #'s 2-8. Like I said, the vet is the best option. Probably with a large RES I would start out in the fridge, then move to the freezer.
I personally have never killed an unwanted turtle, I have always been able to find a new home for it. The only reptiles I have frozen are roadkills, almost roadkills, or unwanted green iguanas- which I dont want either, and I explain to the owner what is going to happen to it. Some people just cant deal with doing it themselves.
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There is NO animal shelter - private or municipal - or rescue in the area that would euthnize an owner surrender with the proper methods? There are a couple of shelters in my area that know how to do it properly, and they do accecpt reptiles. I cannot imagine the pain a green iguana would go through while it froze to death.
You might be able to work out a deal with a vet to have euthanasia done for cost if you have a good working relationship with your vet. My vet has never charged me for euthanasia for the rescue animals (luckily I've only had to have a handful euthanized), probably because I spend so much money there the rest of the time.
If you're going to be taking in unwanted animals, then you have the responsibility to give them the proper care, including HUMANE euthanasia if that's thier fate. If you can't do that, then don't take them in.
Katrina
I can't believe you are trying to justify your suggestion to freeze and animal to "euthanize" it. It is not acceptable at all, no matter how much more humane you think it might be then your other suggestions. A few of them might make a quicker death then freezing, none of them are acceptable. If you can't take care of a turtle take it to any animal shelter. Even some pet store will take unwanted pets like turtles (even as uninformed as many of them may be, better then being frozen). If you can't afford (or you don't want to pay for it) to get it properly euthanized you have no business owning any pet.
I did a little investigating and apparently freezing is an old method that shouldnt be used anymore.
The preferred method of course is intravenous drugs, but the free methods suggested are more along the lines of a good smack to the head, between and directly behind the eyes.
Decapitation is not reccomended unless the brain is pithed immediately after.
Another method suggested is carbon monoxide, but is not reccomended because of the danger to the human involoved. You pretty much need a professional gas chamber for that.
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About the carbon monoxide...I have chickens and while at a internet forum i read a post, cant recall what it was all about, but someone mentioned that they had once tried to get rid of 2 roosters the carbon monoxide route. Well they passed out, she thought they were dead put them in the garbage. The next day she went to throw something in the garbage and out flew 2 very unhappy roosters when she took the lid off. my opinion is its not the way to go. However it is how they use to euthanize animals years ago in a gas chamber. My moms family use to run the local SPCA back in the 70's and that is how they put animals down. They had an old car hooked up to a pipe that went into a gas chamber. Sad that it was the most humane way to get it done, good thing now a days it is quicker and more humane.
LOL!!! This is the most morbid thread I have ever seen!!
Seriously though, it's things like this that many folks never consider. If the need for euthanasia come up -- it's good to know what kind of options are out there if (for whatever the reason) you are unable to have a vet do it.
I really hate all of this talk about killing an animal just because it's unwanted! If you absalutely can't keep or don't want these animals, finding them a good, caring home shouldn't be a problem. Turtlehomes.org helps place turtles. If you don't want to fool with an adoption, I'm sure that there is someone in your area with the knowladge and compassion to take on these RES. Try taking them to a local herp show.
I agree that releasing them would be wrong, but killing them is a FAR CRY from what is right! Alot of people like to think that 'humans' are the only creature that can feel pain. Too many animals needlessly suffer and die due to the stupidity and laziness of humans. (That is why I hate my own species! Most humans are careless and cruel!)
There's someone out there that would love and cherish these 'unwanted' animals. If you have trouble re-homing these animals, please don't toss them in a freezer! Send me an e-mail and I will help you find an appropriate home for them. ~Christy~
Ok, I see I spoke too much and everyone missed the rest of my post.
How does everyone feel about the following methods?
2. Hammer
3. automobile
4. fire
5. concrete block
6. axe
7. suffocation
8. drowning
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2. Hammer- no
3. automobile- no
4. fire- no
5. concrete block- no
6. axe- no
7. suffocation- much less pain than freezing them, a preferred method over that.
8. drowning- good luck
>>8. drowning- good luck
Please dont tell me you think an aquatic turtle cant drown with help from a human. They arent fish.
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I am perfectly aware that turtles are capable of drowning with the "help" of a human. But my question would be, why would you waste your time?
>>I am perfectly aware that turtles are capable of drowning with the "help" of a human. But my question would be, why would you waste your time?
I just added that one in there, because I have seen it happen. As you can see from the list I was just trying to think of other ways that you could put them down. I personally have never had to kill a turtle unless it was crushed by a car and still moving. I usually choose decapitiation in that case, because I want to end the suffering as soon as possible. Im no vet and I dont carry a special euthanization kit with me in the car. However I usually have my pick axe that I use for turning rocks.
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In that event, I can understand your decapitation method. An animal that is already suffering needs to be put down as quick as possible. I just dont feel that freezing an animal while it is still alive is an appropriate method of "euthenasia".
You make it sound like it's sooooo easy to find homes for the bushel baskets YES bushel baskets of sliders that we get into our rescues on throughout the year. Well let me tell you it is not. We do our best but it is a costly affair and the resources (new homes) are finite.
This idea that rescue organizations are here to take away people's problems really gets me ticked off. "Hey when ya get tired of it just give to a rescue".
Euthanizing an animal like a slider or iguana is never something someone WANTS to do. Rescues are in the business of trying to help animals. But simple fact of the matter is that there are more sliders around than homes to accomodate them. So in lieu of euthanizing many rescues will no longer take in sliders.
It is easy to say "just send them to a rescue organization" but it's not that simple. We simply do not have the funds to accomodate all these animals forever and eventual have to stop taking them in or be left with no choice but euthanizing them.
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"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals"
--Immanual Kant
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1 Dog (Tyson)
1 RES (Sigmund)
1 Hamster (Lenore)
Agreed. And fortunately we still do have a few resources left but by the end of the Summer season may have to just resort to a waiting list to try and find homes for sliders. We will not resort to taking in sliders and euthanizing them but when we don't have homes readily available we'll simply will have to stop taking them in.
I guess I am having trouble with a blanket "do not return to the wild" idea. I live in Illinois, and grew up in Michigan and in both areas painted turtles and red-eared sliders were common and native. We didn't buy them--we caught them. And we usually returned them to the creek or pond where we found them before the end of the summer because we kept them outside and couldn't give them the right kind of light inside or the right type of place for hybernation outside. I don't think the local humane society would even take a native turtle--it's considered a wild animal around here--unless it is disabled or there is some other reason it can't fend for itself.
My son just accidentally caught a yellow eared slider today while fishing and is keeping it in a pond in the backyard. We have the ability now to keep a turtle inside for the winter. We have an iguana and know a bit more about the UV light than we did as kids. If he releases it back to the place where he found it in a few weeks, what's the damage?
AGREED!!! NEVER PUT THEM IN THE FREEZER TO EUTHANIZE THEM. It is a painful and cruel death.
For the record we have not had any sliders euthanized yet and will not do so. We will simply have to stop taking them in after our sanctuary resources run dry and just keep people on waiting lists until we can find homes for their animals.
OOPS belongs with the other part of this thread about euthanizing.
