Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everybody.
This forums pretty dead but I can wait.
I recently rescued a 8 inch common snapper from a bad situation.
A person I work with who can't even manage his slider was stuck with a snapper from a cousin who dropped it off and put it in the tiny tank WITH the snapper who didnt have adequate space, heat, filter, cleaning, or anything else to begin with. That person got it from someone else at least a couple years ago and I have no info on where she came from before that.
Although I frequently take in all sorts of rescues, and have kept all sorts of herps for over 10 years, I realize that my apartment is MUCH too small for a full grown snapper.
I called a local reptile rescue and was told to release her in the spring.
My problem with this is that the lady didnt even hear me out on the details and suggested I LIE to a local rehab and tell them i found it in order to get them to take it without a fee. She also told me that absolutely NO common snappers are captive bred(which i know to be false obv) and that I do not need to worry about her hibernation instinct or possible disease introduction. She is known to be very knowledgeable and I value her advice, but I didn't feel entirely confident with it as she didn't seem to listen or care much.
I worry about release because of several reasons-
1)she has one bad eye. its intact, but has fleshy growth covering much of the opening. She seems to see ok, but I've only had her a week.
2) i have no idea how long she has been captive or what situations she has been in.
3)will her instincts lead her to hibernate despite the fact that she may never have had to before?

So I've decided shes staying with me until spring at least, but I am looking for second opinions in the meantime. I'd hate to take her from a bad situation just for her to die when I try to release her. Otherwise I'll need to find her a suitable home which may be difficult as most people aren't experienced enough or able to give enough space to an adult.

Thanks for any help!

i was comming here to aske some info on rehabing my common and releasing him back in to the wild too. mine is fairly young he is about 3 inches and from what i was told less than a year old. my ex girlfirend had hime when we met and she was in the process of moving and so she left him at my house temporarly and now she is gone but the turtle remains. I really dont have a problem keeping him at this point (he is fairly low maintance) but i just cant imagin having him 15 years form now when he is huge. is there any advice i could get on preparing him to be release or do i just need to keep him since he has been captive for most of his life?

I have rehabilitated some fairly bad cases (the photo below is of an adult female who was hit by a car), but the advice that I can offer may depend upon what state you are in. Where are you located?
 

I am in NYS.
For the record, at this point she is eating a TON! and doing pretty well hunting, not that its very difficult in a tank....
She seems healthy overall, and alert, and always ready to eat!
Let me know what advice you have as it is getting warmer out. I'm also wondering when the best time for release would be. We've still been having a few very cold nights, so its not time yet.
Thanks in advance!