Need help with found baby Diamond back turtle

[Lori Huck]

My dog found a baby Diamondback in my back yard. It would be almost impossible for the mother to have laid her eggs this high off of the water, so I’m guessing a gull dropped it and the dog scooped it up. Somehow it survived and I was going to let it go in the bay behind my house. First I did a little research and found that it should be released by grasses instead of the open bay. My fear is that it’s cold outside, and so is the bay this time of year. I can’t get it to dive either. Everything I’m reading says it should be warm and able to dive. I have him in bay water where he can crawl out. He seems to just go back into the cold water and is swimming hard, but not diving. Is it dangerous to release him in these conditions?

 

[Tom]

If he cannot dive, there may be a puncture or some gas built up in the body cavity. I would look for a local wildlife rehab facility near you that can assess and treat the little one, with the hope of being able to release it once it is fit.