Baby Alligator Turtle found my pond :-(

[j.w]

Bman your turtle has such a sad look on his cute little face................"Are you gonna leave me here all by myself?"
Ha Ha he'll be happier in that lake and it won't dry up like the school pond.

 

[CountryEscape]

OK, baby alligator turtle #2 was in the skimmer this morning .... or is it possible it's the same one, and he hiked it from my farm pond back to the koi pond??? I will not kill him, but this guy is getting taken farther away, just in case. I'm also worried that the big mama may have laid eggs in the bog or something crazy like that! I sure hope not, but these guys are so tiny, can't imagine the hike they have made to get to my pond! I'd guess (and I'm a terrible guess at distance) that it was at least 200 yards to the farm pond. I suspect they came from the ditch where the neighbor said he saw several babies a month or more ago, and that's across the road from my farm pond, so about the same distance. :-( At least I'm catching them in the skimmer, for now at least.

 

[addy1]

turtle mom! your new name...........

 

[CountryEscape]

Haha, if you say so.

 

[addy1]

Haha, if you say so.

Well jw is dragonfly lady, tmann, raccoon man, i have harry the heron, you have turtles...............lol

 

[CountryEscape]

Oh my goodness, you're so right!!! I didn't read the part of your heron being named Harry! I like it! We are all animal lovers that's for sure. Must come with the hobby of ponding.

 

[addy1]

We have a relationship going, don't eat the fish, you are welcome to eat all you want out of the gardens........It comes by almost every day, this morning 3 times, all three times stayed in the gardens or back field and fed on crickets. I keep a good watch on it to see what other methods it will use to get into the pond.

 

[CountryEscape]

Good plan. After all, if he's eating crickets and grasshoppers,he's helping you and you are helping him! At my house, the pasture has so many grasshoppers that if I went walking through with a butterfly net, I could catch plenty for the frogs. However, with the cooler temps, the frogs have gone into hiding. And, I have not seen Aris lately either, the little red slider turtle. In fact, not seen him since before my trip to San Diego. I sure hope the kids didn't decide to take him home for a pet, but I doubt it. I miss him, though. Probably got too chilly for him as well, and he's gone looking for winter quarters. Maybe he's in the bog and just too chilly to come out. I'm sure we will have an Indian Summer in the next month or so, and I'll watch to see if he "comes out to play" then!

 

[addy1]

Most likely those big black crickets, we have tons of them right now, they do love to live in mulch. Grasshoppers too, but not that many.

 

[fishin4cars]

Yes, I am most concerned what this little guy will grow up to be! I have no problem leaving this thru the winter, but I would fish him out come spring, and they will be very hard to locate on the bottom at this size. Larkin, if you are serious and would like him, I'd be happy to go to the local pet store and get bags, boxes, etc. to ship him to you. I suspect he would be an easy thing to ship. I still have him in a bowl in my bathroom sink. LOL Can't imagine why anyone would want an alligator snapper, though, unless you can keep him confined. They like to travel in this area, often walk miles to get to new ponds. See them on the road all the time.
The reason I fear them is I know they lay on the bottom, and I'm afraid to swim in farm ponds for fear of stepping on one. In my koi pond, I fear a large would might rip the liner trying to "dig down" for the winter. I will be getting my wet suit on with mask and snorkle before the year ends and also in the spring to search for any that I may find laying on the bottom.

Somehow I missed this post, Know it's been a while but I woulod seriously be intrested in getting it or a baby one. Right now we have a few turtles, one box and one sucatta Tortoise baby in the land enclosure, a musk turtle in the pond, and florida softshell in a 20 gallon fish tank, it will go outside in a turtle pond next year but as small as it is this year were going to keep it inside through this winter.
I would be happy to pay any shipping cost, as for shipping it can be shipped here, no legal issues I can find, just be sure and don't ship with much water, just enough to keep moist. LMK if your can and still have it so I can prepare a place for him in advance, i would put it with the softshell but i would want to start a place for it by itself and introduce them together slowly where I could watch and see if they would live together or not.

 

[CountryEscape]

Larkin, I do still have the little bugger! Yes, I would be happy to ship it to you. Just private message me with your address info, and I'm sure you have some suggestions as to how to ship it, too. I agree with very little water, only enough to keep some moisture in the bag. I would ship overnight, as to give him best chance. He's not moving much, I think he doesn't care for the cooler temps we are having, although this morning it's 57! He will likely love your warm temps. I'll get him in the mail tomorrow and you should easily get him by Thurs., I would guess. Woohoo, this little guy is going to love it there! BTW, he's as small as the other one, only about 1.5" from tip of nose to back of shell, at least when he doesn't have his nose fully outstretched.

 

[addy1]

Larkin, I do still have the little bugger! Yes, I would be happy to ship it to you. Just private message me with your address info, and I'm sure you have some suggestions as to how to ship it, too. I agree with very little water, only enough to keep some moisture in the bag. I would ship overnight, as to give him best chance. He's not moving much, I think he doesn't care for the cooler temps we are having, although this morning it's 57! He will likely love your warm temps. I'll get him in the mail tomorrow and you should easily get him by Thurs., I would guess. Woohoo, this little guy is going to love it there! BTW, he's as small as the other one, only about 1.5" from tip of nose to back of shell, at least when he doesn't have his nose fully outstretched.

awwwwwwww neat country you are sending snappy to fishin!

 

[CountryEscape]

LOL, Addy, I think you just named the little guy! That's a great name for him .... and he gets to live with other turtle buddies.

 

[j.w]

That is neat. Snappy will have a good home w/ Larkin and friends, lol! Hoping to see pictures and hope he travels safely.

 

[CountryEscape]

I got home to some bad news. I put the baby in a 3.5 gal bucket in my house, thinking he would be safer than outside, where he had been since the morning before, in the same bucket. Very little water, and propped so he could get to "dry ground" if he wanted to. I guess my cats got too curious and dumped the bucket. :-( I've been searching frantically since I got home, now well over an hour, and still no sign of him. I can only guess that the cats hauled him off somewhere, or could they possibly have eaten him? My cats are inside cats, and I know they like to catch the moths that get inside and will eat them, but a baby turtle? Doesn't sound like it would be easy to eat! I'm still looking, but I've searched thoroughly in the 3 rooms surrounding the bucket and no sign. I've messages Larkin, so he is aware. I feel soooo awful! First, if he got eaten, and worse, if he's hiding somewhere and I don't find him and he dies that way. Darn it! No more baby in the skimmer either. I hate it when life throws a curve my way like this. I'll just keep trying to think of other places he may have crawled, or maybe where a cat might have taken him to play with him. :redface: