Introducing myself-Om Shahi

[ompshahi]

How would webbed feet and a hinged plastron look like?And he seems to live gracefully in my backyard which doesn't even have a drop of water although I put some water out there for him to drink,in accordance with my belief/assumption that I have a tortoise(terrestrial) and not an aquatic or amphibious turtle.

 

[Yvonne G]

I do not think that it is a slider or cooter.There is no body of water in close proximity to me and it seems like a land-only turtle(tortoise).It could be an enlarged version of a common box turtle such as an eastern or ornate box tortoise.

Please read our posts with an open mind. It doesn't matter that there's no body of water nearby. That IS a water turtle. I'm absolutely, completely positive of this. Water turtles can only swallow food if they are submerged in water.

Female water turtles wander quite a ways away from the water looking for a good nesting site that won't be underwater during a monsoon. That's why we find them so far away from a water source. Your turtle would be very happy if you would put it in some water.

(Maybe one of your neighbors has a small backyard pond.)

 

[tortdad]

That is without a doubt 100% a water turtle, not a tortoise. It can travel in storm sewers going from retention pond to retention pond. Like said above. Females will travel miles to lay eggs and it can't eat unless it's in water.

Find a body of water like a neighborhood pond and put it in there.

 

[ompshahi]

So if it is a water turtle,I am not able to understand how has it been living in my backyard harmoniously undisturbed for such a long period of time.I do not even know how it got in my backyard which is completely fenced on all sides and so even if there was a body of water nearby(which there is not),there would have been no way for it to get in.Could it be an amphibious turtle or an aquatic turtle that can survive on land?It must be burrowing and eating insects,worms,snails,and plants but it does not drink much water because we put a container of water right out in front of it and it barely drank any of it.Can any of you please tell me the exact species if you have knowledge of that?

 

[teresaf]

Looks alot like this one that I see on internet. I googled cooter turtle...

 

[teresaf]

The designs on the shells vary greatly from what I see of cooters but the shape is right and the striped face and legs are pretty consistent. Who is the cooter specialist on here @Tom ? @Yvonne G ?

It doesn't matter where it came from or that it's been "living' in your yard. They are probably very hardy and can 'live' long periods in unfriendly habitats but that wouldn't be healthy long term. I don't have any aquatics but the very little i just read said they "require" a diverse habitat. dry land AND water source(not a bowl but something to swim in). Again, welcome. Enjoy your new little friend and someone will be along to confirm what you have. That is the important thing.

 

[Yvonne G]

Trust me...this poor turtle has been living dry and uncomfortable for as long if not longer than you've known it was in your yard. It takes them a very long time to starve to death (and like has been said, they have no salivary glands and CANNOT eat/swallow unless they are submerged in water), and a very long time for their insides to dry out. I'd be willing to bet that if you put this turtle in deep water right now it would float. A water turtle that's been out of water for a very long time has a difficult time being able to go under water. It sometimes take a week for them to get all hydrated again to where they can swim underwater.

 

[Tom]

@Anthony P
@Gerards
@Turtlepete

Guys, can we get some help on an exact species ID.

Ompshahi, that aquatic turtle need a swimming pool of some sort, and it needs it right now. It needs to be able to climb out and bask too, but it needs a pond.

 

[Heardofturtles]

That's s cooter. Get some shots of head, plastron and feet for ID, but it needs water ASAP.

 

[ompshahi]

Hello everyone,I have four more pictures of my turtle showing its carapace/face and plastron/tail. Please assist me in identifying what species it belongs to. Thank you very much. more pictures of the carapace/head and plastron/tail. Please assist me in identifying its species.

 

[teresaf]

That's s cooter. Get some shots of head, plastron and feet for ID, but it needs water ASAP.

Awesome avatar!!!! I loved those movies!

 

[teresaf]

I see webbed feet. that makes it aquatic in my book. I thought it looked cooterish(I love making up new words with the addition of an ish). you need to read up on cooters ASAP to see what their ideal habitat is and try to mimic it somewhat. You can install a pond in your yard pretty easily. My mom did it at 60 years old. By herself....

 

[tortdad]

Hello everyone,I have four more pictures of my turtle showing its carapace/face and plastron/tail. Please assist me in identifying what species it belongs to. Thank you very much. View attachment 138425 View attachment 138426 more pictures of the carapace/head and plastron/tail. Please assist me in identifying its species.View attachment 138423 View attachment 138423

Pseudemys texana, aka. Texas River Cooter

My yard is fenced in too and I find a handful of them every year. Turtles don't just live in water, to venture out into land all the time but need water more than land. They get stuck out on land and can survive for a long time but it will eventually starve itself to death or dehydrate to death. It needs a body of water. A retention pond, a creek, a neighborhood pond.... Something.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, Om, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you.
You can be certain that tortdad is right, that is a Texas River Cooter and needs to be placed in a large area of water asap so it can drink, rehydrate and eat. It will die if it is not returned to a larger area of water. I know you want to do the right thing which is why you came here in the first place, so please, trust us and help the beautiful turtle.

 

[tortdad]

None of us can force you to put it back in the wild so if you choose to keep it you need to build a pond for it or use a metal stock tank from a feed store. If you do keep it I'd offer my help to you to make sure your set up is safe although, like others have said, it's best if you return it to the wild.