Even though this little turtle only lived a few months, he or she was a brave and special turtle, and I wanted to share their story. It started, as all too many of the stories I tell do, with a turtle being hit by a car. The eastern painted turtle mother was on her way… Continue reading Patient Spotlight: Pancake (RIP)
You'd think turtle siblings would resemble each other, in size, color, behavior, etc. That's not always the case. Here's a quick look at some diamondback terrapins that were hatched from the same clutch of eggs (the mother unfortunately was deceased but we were able to save the eggs and some of them were viable and… Continue reading Tiny and Titanic Terrapins
In Norse mythology, Freyja is the goddess of death and fertility, and is also a fierce warrior. This girl is the embodiment of that goddess in turtle form, and a true survivor. It started one Memorial Day weekend, when I was heading out to a friend's BBQ, and I get a call from a fellow… Continue reading Patient Spotlight: Freyja
What do a musk turtle, a spiny softshell turtle, and a western painted turtle have in common? All three were helped out on the same day thanks to a caring family calling a rehabber. On a lovely late summer day, I received a call from the mom in a family that had gone for a… Continue reading Turtle Trifecta Day
It is unnecessarily difficult and expensive to screen turtles for disease in Connecticut. It could be just as difficult elsewhere; I don't know. What I do know is that it's a pain in the ass. When you become a turtle rehabber, one of the things that is impressed upon you is to keep each patient… Continue reading Testing, Testing, 1,2,3, Testing!
If you find an injured animal, call a rehabber for help immediately! Not in a couple hours, not when you get out of work at the end of the day, not after a day or two of “wait and see”…and certainly not four full months later. That’s what the finder of this poor girl did,… Continue reading Waiting Is A Deadly Game
Be aware there are images of real patients in this post that may upset sensitive viewers. You're not going to be able to save every animal. That's just the truth. There is no way around it. Sometimes you'll get an animal in that is hurt so badly that it doesn't stand a chance and the… Continue reading Dealing with Death
(Or, "What not to do if you find an injured turtle") These stories are true, but names and details have been changed or omitted to protect the hopelessly misguided. See if you can figure out which finder got it right. Finder 1Finder 2Call a licensed rehabber.Call at least three rehabbers, two vet clinics, and a… Continue reading A Tale of Two Finders
It's done! Finito! I am officially a wildlife rehabilitator in the state of Connecticut. I've had the paperwork sitting around since last year when I registered to take the test, which I aced back in March. I got a veterinarian to sign off at least six months ago, and I've just been waiting to accumulate… Continue reading It’s official!
Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to go through the intake process completely with my mentor. It'll take a while before I have everything down without second-guessing or asking questions, but I think I have the gist of it. I'm just going to go ahead and tell you not to try this… Continue reading What do you do with an injured turtle?
Turtle Haven 