Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello , I found a spotted in my yard trying to dig (they nest here every yr)She was haveing a real hard time digging so I took a look at her.She missing a back leg!I cleaned her wound off and treated it,and now I'm wondering if I should house her in beach sand for easy digging and incubate the eggs for release (release the mother as well) or, just let her be and hope for the best?

Is it a fresh wound? If not, I would just leave well enough alone and let her do her thing, but you're there and probably have the best perspective on what to do. You sound like you're thinking about it responsibly, and that's nice to see. Good luck! You should post some pictures of the mama and any soon-to-come eggs and hatchlings!

I'd agree with the last post. Missing legs and worse are actually quite common on wild turtles (especially females). Unless the wound is fresh, I would just let her be. She has probably been coping with this injury for quite awhile (assuming it isn't fresh).

If it is fresh, then offering an easier nesting medium (moist sand/peat mix) might be an option. After that I would just let her be though. Even if the wound is fresh, she is likely to be best off on her own (without any added stress). Depending on where you're at there may very well be some legalities to contend with as well.

That said, that is VERY cool that you have turtles (Spotted of all things!) nesting in your backyard (aka: I'm incredibly jealous). You might also consider screening her nest with some wire hardware-cloth when she is finished. I wonder how much nest predation you typically see in your backyard.

Some pictures (of the wound) if you can post them would be very helpful (and interesting) too.

Well the wound is fairly new(was bleeding pretty good)but I've cleaned it off and put neosporin on it and covered with a gauze.Waiting for my vet to call tonight but he didn't,so tomorrow she'll be going.I do know the laws (Mass) but my vet takes care of my spotteds (all CB bought in Fla.)He wont turn away this girl.Hopefuly she's gonna be fine and back to the marsh she goes.I'll see about some pics, I'm sure my wife has some of the spotteds nesting in the yard from last yr.My yard is like spotted heaven during the nesting season.As for covering the nests I know for sure to be there,I'm all over that.Looks funny mowing the lawn around little wire domes out there but w/e.Curtis, looks like you have a female there (still small)but my guess is female.As for males and them getting aggresive,my male was fine with the 2 females, then he just had a hormone boost or somthing.Just the last cpl weeks he's been going crazy.Time for another tank (wifes gonna love that). Hate to seperate them but until I get my dream outdoor pond it's just gonna have to be.You guys think a large tank, say 150 gallon with 2 females and 1 male, the girls would be able to hide enough from the little turtle pimp,or just seperate them completly?

I'm VERY jealous. I don't know why you even keep spotteds if they come into your yard every year. [Not really, of course I do] Mass. should be paying you as a spotted sactuary or something!

I don't know why you would go with a 150 gallon tank, that seems extreme, especially since you'll only fill it up about six inches, at the most. How big is your setup now? I want to do an outdoor setup in a five-foot oblong galvanized stock tank and then get another female or two and a male.

Hey Curtis, A santuary sounds pretty good, getting paid even better. I look forward to seeing them every yr. Rite now I have them in a 55gal. 1of my females is still quite small so it's not to crowded, Just think a 150 would look awesome with the right plants and logs, and a good size land area.Some good deals on craigs list.I have a 300 gallon pond with 2 rescued RES in the cellar as well as another 55 with 3 baby E.Painted. And a 75gal with 2 other RES I'm just watching for the summer.I need to find a home for the res in the pond.Maybe treat my spotteds to a real big home. OOOby the way ,your spotted beautiful

Thanks, I appreciate that. I just love her. I have always had a turtle of some sort since I was a kid, but when I got my spotted, I fell in love with them and if I could only have one turtle for the rest of my life, it would be spotteds.

Don't forget to post some pics of your "sanctuary" in action. And some of your spotteds as well!

Good to know about the "hormone boost" ...this makes sense. I'll continue to keep a very close eye on them (aka: HIM). Sounds like we have about the same setup (55 gal) at the moment. I'm with you on the 150 gal tank though. The bigger the better. No matter how large an enclosure we provide, we'll never be matching the freedom to roam that they would have in the wild. That said, a nice big tank could make for a very nice setup. Not sure whether you'll be able to keep your trio together. I would guess it depends a lot on your male's personality (and hormone level). Its worth a shot though. Just tell your wife you need the tank to protect the ladies' virtue (and if it doesn't work out then you'll just have to buy more tanks!).

Curtis, it sounds like we're aspiring to the same outdoor pond setups at a future date. In the meantime, I'm considering a simple sweaterbox setup (w/ sphagnum) that I can take them outside in during nice days (on the balcony away from predators). Incidentally, I've seen some great deals on used pond liners in the Farm/Garden section of Craigslist.

BTW, you didn't mention whether that injured female dropped her eggs yet. If she's at the vet anyway, you might consider giving her an injection to drop the eggs. I would think that would eliminate some stress from nesting and might help her out. You'd be getting into sticky legalities again though. Maybe just transport the eggs to a man-made nest in your "sanctuary backyard." Got any pictures of hatchlings emerging from under your nest screens???

Well the vet took a look at her,and gave her some antibiotics,and back to the marsh she goes.I put her back where she was when I first saw her and she sat there for most of the day.Went in to take a shower and she was gone.I'll have to remember to ask the wife about pics. I know she had some from a yr or 2 ago of a couple hatchlings out in the yard.On another note. I have a 55gallon tall tank,and was thinking about asking a glass company to cut it down (height wise). Being so tall it's a pain in the @$$ to reach into to clean or re-arrange the mess my turtles make.Maybe even add a pice to the cut off piece(bottom), and end up with 2 tanks. I don't know, just a thought.