Found hatchling in my pool

[Akerp]

Hello all, I’m new here. I found a hatchling in my enclosed pool yesterday. I am completely stumped on how he got in and how long he’s been in there. The pool is saltwater so I quickly got him into some freshwater and made a little space for him to be safe and not drown with dry land (as per suggestions on this site). Is this a Florida box turtle? He is about the size of a quarter and just adorable. He’s doing well today and we are headed out for supplies..


Thank you!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Wonderful save.

Are you planning to keep? You could perhaps take to a natural area and let it back into the wilds of Florida.

Good you saved from your pool.

 

[Akerp]

I would like to return him to the wild but my kids are scared that he is so small and needs a chance to grow a little. Had I been home alone, my kids would have never even known about him, lol.
Thoughts?

 

[TechnoCheese]

I would like to return him to the wild but my kids are scared that he is so small and needs a chance to grow a little. Had I been home alone, my kids would have never even known about him, lol.
Thoughts?

I would release it. Box turtles are already pretty hard to find in the wild, and if hat one makes it too adulthood in the wild, it could really improve their numbers

 

[Yvonne G]

Looks more like a mud turtle hatchling to me. @Markw84 ???

 

[Toddrickfl1]

That's a three stripe mud turtle, native to FL. You can release it in a local canal. They are about the size of a dime when they hatch so that one is a little older.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Oh, whoops! Didn’t look at the picture and thought a read “box turtle” somewhere. Definitely not a box turtle, lol.

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh, whoops! Didn’t look at the picture and thought a read “box turtle” somewhere. Definitely not a box turtle, lol.

It was in the box turtle section

 

[Akerp]

Looks more like a mud turtle hatchling to me. @Markw84 ???

You are absolutely correct! Our local wildlife guy identified him as that. We just released him into our neighborhood canal.

 

[Akerp]

That's a three stripe mud turtle, native to FL. You can release it in a local canal. They are about the size of a dime when they hatch so that one is a little older.

You are correct. And I live right by the canal so we returned him to his home.

 

[Akerp]

It was in the box turtle section

yeah. I’m new

 

[Pastel Tortie]

It was in the box turtle section

Well, Kinosternon mud turtles have hinges on their plastrons, too. Two hinges per plastron, actually, where box turtles have one per plastron.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I realize the original poster has already returned the three-striped mud turtle to the wild, but I want to make another comment for future reference, in case someone goes researching later.

In a pinch, you could probably get away with treating a U.S. mud turtle the same as an box turtle. Make sure the turtle has a big enough water dish to get into, and keep in mind you may have to feed them (box turtles as well as mud turtles) in the water. At least some mud turtles CAN eat on land, but that doesn't mean that they WILL.