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Turtle Rehabilitation in Connecticut

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Tag: cold

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Spelunking Snapper!

November 27, 2020 bookwormturtle

This big guy was rescued from certain death a few days ago after he fell down an open manhole at a golf course.  Hopefully the workers there will remember to close it next time as soon as they’re done using it so that animals (or people) don’t fall in and get hurt, or worse.  … Continue reading Spelunking Snapper!

Tagged cold, golf course, snapping turtles, strandingLeave a comment
Getting all the critters clean/fed/watered so I can go do holiday stuff tonight, and this little stinker immediately goes and turns his water dish into a mud puddle.  Don’t let anyone tell you terrestrial species are less messy or less work.  They are just different. Ah, the annual, “TURTLES AREN’T TOYS!” post.  Here you go.  Remember, turtles are a lifelong commitment, require specialized care and a large setup, and are difficult to rehome when your kid gets bored with it.  P.S. - They are also illegal to poach from the wild.  P.P.S. - Adopt, don’t shop. It’s the rare gingerbread box turtle!  Unlike most turtle species which hide and brumate over the winter, these guys only come out for a short period of time in December and January.  What turtles have you spotted this winter? These are the before & after pictures of a female eastern box turtle that had a stint in rehab last season. The lovely finder/photographer Karen has been photographing & cataloging local box turtles for 3 decades! She’s identified over 25 individual adults & ushered hatchlings from nests she protects in her yard to the forest behind it. Because of her dedication to the turtles, Karen noticed this one who looked a bit “off” so she called me. The turtle was suffering from multiple infections: eyes, respiratory, & septicemia. It’s Election Day in the USA and most polling places are open until 8pm local time, so there is still time for most people to get out and vote today.  It may not be a national election, but your local councils, boards, and politicians also shape important policies that have impact beyond the reach of their locality.  Turtle habitat is being lost all over the world, but the loss in your own backyard can be prevented if your local planning and zoning board is ecologically educated and sees the importance of keeping designated “open spaces”, different from parks and trails in that it is supposed to be largely untouched by people, giving local wildlife a safe refuge while protecting things like clean water sources and nature’s air purifiers (plants). State representatives can champion wildlife-friendly legislation, like science-backed hunting regulations that help rather than hurt the environment, mandating animal crossings on roads near important habitat, and even funding wildlife rehab efforts. It’s supposed to be heading in to the slow season, and here I am, still taking turtle calls.  These are some of the ones that have come in since September, and I bet there will be at least one more autumn wave before we’re through.  I’ve had over 50 patients so far this year, and when you add in ones I’ve triaged and transferred to other rehabbers once they’re stable to make room for more intakes, I hit 60.  If you include the illegal pet surrenders taken into care this year, I’m up to 70.  Add in all the hatched out babies from gravid female patients, and we’re talking hundreds.  We also get a slew of kidnapped hatchling calls in winter when people realize that babies grow and poop and aren’t so easy to care for as they thought when they stole it from the wild earlier in the spring or fall.
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