So, this morning my husband came in and told me one of my turtles was out of the enclosure. I hurriedly went to investigate and found a large male three-toed who is not one of my brood. Our dog was checking him out with interest. There is one very small space under the gate that he could have gotten in the yard, but it was odd to see him there. We've lived here over a year and we've never seen a turtle "in the wild". The sound of water from my enclosure might have attracted him.
I'm first pursuing a couple of avenues to determine if he is a pet. He's very bold and not afraid of me, so I thought he might be. Then again, he might just be an onery male. We have a new neighbor who told me he has several tortoises. I don't recall what he said he had, but he disclaimed box turtles. Then again, he's 9, so I plan to make sure it's not his.
Here's my quandry assuming I don't find an owner. I want to release him, however, I'm not sure where. We live in a semi-rural area. The immediate has about 100 houses on 1-2 acre tracts. There are big back yards and there is a small wooded area near my house. It's basically several backyards that are not fenced. I'm guessing this is his home. He's big and I suppose he's lived a long time there if that's where he's from, so that's where I'm thinking I'll release him. However, there really is not a lot of land around here without houses on it and there are of course roads all around. I don't think it's a very good spot for a forever home.
An alternative is just to set out into the country around here and let him loose, or go to some of the larger nature preserves we have in the area. Either of those would provide more land for him to roam, but that would be removing him from his home.
What do you guys think I should do?
I'm first pursuing a couple of avenues to determine if he is a pet. He's very bold and not afraid of me, so I thought he might be. Then again, he might just be an onery male. We have a new neighbor who told me he has several tortoises. I don't recall what he said he had, but he disclaimed box turtles. Then again, he's 9, so I plan to make sure it's not his.
Here's my quandry assuming I don't find an owner. I want to release him, however, I'm not sure where. We live in a semi-rural area. The immediate has about 100 houses on 1-2 acre tracts. There are big back yards and there is a small wooded area near my house. It's basically several backyards that are not fenced. I'm guessing this is his home. He's big and I suppose he's lived a long time there if that's where he's from, so that's where I'm thinking I'll release him. However, there really is not a lot of land around here without houses on it and there are of course roads all around. I don't think it's a very good spot for a forever home.
An alternative is just to set out into the country around here and let him loose, or go to some of the larger nature preserves we have in the area. Either of those would provide more land for him to roam, but that would be removing him from his home.
What do you guys think I should do?
