Releasing baby tortoise

Heather D.

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Hello. My kids brought home a baby tortoise when out with their babysitter a few days ago. When I found out, I let them keep it thinking we’ll release it when it gets bigger. I’m now thinking to release it sooner than that. We’ve only had him 3 days, and I’m assuming he’ll be fine if we release him into our backyard (the kids found him in a park, but I don’t know where). Are my assumptions correct? Is there anything else I should know? Thanks in advance.
 

Tom

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Hello. My kids brought home a baby tortoise when out with their babysitter a few days ago. When I found out, I let them keep it thinking we’ll release it when it gets bigger. I’m now thinking to release it sooner than that. We’ve only had him 3 days, and I’m assuming he’ll be fine if we release him into our backyard (the kids found him in a park, but I don’t know where). Are my assumptions correct? Is there anything else I should know? Thanks in advance.
A baby is not likely to survive in your backyard. They need specialized care, food and hydration. The majority of the ones that hatch in the wild don't survive. If this one has had no contact with any other tortoise or reptile pets, then you can give it a good soak and release it somewhere with heavy brush far away from people and roads.

Here is care info for the species found in your area. We'd love to see a picture of it to ID the species.
 

Yvonne G

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WAIT!!!!! Before you take Tom's advice, we need to determine what species this baby is. I see you're in Turkey, so chances are the baby is a native species, but if it isn't native, it's against the law to release it.
 

Heather D.

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A baby is not likely to survive in your backyard. They need specialized care, food and hydration. The majority of the ones that hatch in the wild don't survive. If this one has had no contact with any other tortoise or reptile pets, then you can give it a good soak and release it somewhere with heavy brush far away from people and roads.

Here is care info for the species found in your area. We'd love to see a picture of it to ID the species.

Thank you for the info!

9BC5CF08-38D1-43B3-BD8A-1598C0516DF4.jpegBFFB4991-D4F5-416B-8E08-8AE392B48340.jpeg
 

method89

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WAIT!!!!! Before you take Tom's advice, we need to determine what species this baby is. I see you're in Turkey, so chances are the baby is a native species, but if it isn't native, it's against the law to release it.
Yvonne was a Turkish Law professor in her past life... ?
 

Clueless Tortoise

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Based on your images, it looks most likely to be a Greek tortoise ( spur-thighed tortoise ). Clearly a hatchling. Greek torts are native to Turkey, but as @Tom said, most don't survive, especially when babies. Im going to let others respond on what to do, because I do not know much about releasing wild tortoises, but based on what I know, its most likely is a Greek tort. Lets get some other opinions to make sure. He/she is a cutie!!!
 

Heather D.

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WAIT!!!!! Before you take Tom's advice, we need to determine what species this baby is. I see you're in Turkey, so chances are the baby is a native species, but if it isn't native, it's against the law to release it.
Thanks for letting me know! The kids found it at a nearby park, and we see adults roaming our backyard (they come in from a wild space that borders our yard and that park). I would be curious to know if they are a native species, since a friend just mentioned that they were pets and released into the parks sometime ago... I don’t know if that’s true, but may provide some context for anyone trying to identify this little guy.
 
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