So this is the turtle my little brother found on Thursday. It was walking past our house on the footpath being harassed by those annoying little brown birds.. (I don't know what they are called )

 

 

 

 

It is an Eastern Long Neck according to the guy at the Pet (Fish) Shop. We went and bought it some food today and hopefully if it's not raining to much tomorrow I will make a pond for it out the back.

 

We've got posters and stuff up at the milk bar down the road and we've rang all the vets and pet shops in the area, so If someone has lost it they will know where to find it.

 

And If no one claims it it we will probably take it to the local bushland reserve and put in the pond there. There is already another turtle there the is the same type as it so I think it will be fine..

I would think it came from that reserve, not a pet............

I would take him back there straight away, I don't think they are meant to be kept as pets at all anyway, and I am not sure if a backyard pond is great idea either to be honest........

We get them here, I live near a lake, they are lovely.

The reserve is in the next town over (15 minutes away by car), so if he came from there he was walking for a while.. :budgiedance:

 

There are a few breeders down this way that sell them as pets.

Hmmm he is cute but that is my first thought what Cloud said, I wouldn't be surprised if he is a wild turtle, they need a lot of needs or they can get really sick fast. Someone else such just like you could have picked him up and then put him back down and so it may be far where he is. Turtles can carry diseases so I would please becareful and wash your hands well.

Hi Sunshine....

 

Please check with the RSPCA or Wildlife Centres for your state, here in QLD it is illegal to keep turtles as pets without a licence ...and it's also illegal to release Turtles into ponds/creeks, not to mention that if it has been a pet it may not know how to find food and starve to death.... :budgiedance:

I was talking to a friend of a friend a little while ago and when he bought his turtle (which is the same sort has the "stray") he was told that he didn't need a licence for it.

 

He is coming over in the morning. He knows everyone in the area that has one (or more) so hopefully he will be able to find its owner.

 

I'm presuming it was a pet because, unless it lived down a drain or something there is no where else it could have come from. And it eats turtle food. (exactly like goldfish flakes only for fish) We bought some from the petshop this morning and it eat it as soon as it touched the water.. so unless wild turtles get the same thing somehow..

Eastern (common) long necked turtles are under schedule 5B in Victoria, meaning that they can be held and released without a wildlife license if obtained from a legal source (ie bred in captivity or wild-caught by someone with a license to do so).

 

I'd like to warn you that turtle care is not simple. There is a huge responsibility regarding water maintenance, heating, lighting, docking and feeding, which must be done properly or else illness and short life span will be the result. The thing about turtles is they don't readily tell you when they're sick or in pain. Posting about support of non-budgie animals is not allowed here, but please please look up proper turtle care from a reputable source such as an "exotics" or "herp" veterinarian before you "dig a pond" for it to live in. A pet store or "friend of a friend" is not such a source. Having spent three weeks with a reptile vet I've seen literally a dozen turtles who have really bad illnesses which were sadly preventable with proper husbandry.

Edited September 24, 200915 yr by Chrysocome

sunshine i got a one and its a easten also i have proper out door pond and filtration ect the up keep is alot and they can get sick fast they also dig and they need to be hibernated properly mine just came out of hibanation i will help u if you need any just ask me if you want dont release it as its illegal to do so and dont just give it to a random it needs lots of care

oh yeah, I forgot to update you guys. We took it to the vet and just after we got here a guy came in asking if they knew if anyone had found a turtle..

 

He had all his paper work and stuff and we agreed with the vet that it was most likely his, since he lives around the corner from us. And how likely is it that someone is looking for a turtle just after we found one??..

 

He invited us over to have a look at his setup so we went over yesterday and it was pretty impressive! He has three other turtles aswell. He also has 2 budgies! So we might have another member yet

 

Thanks for the offer GB, that's really nice of you.