Spring Surprise

I was walking in the front lobby of our store last week when I spotted something on the floor.  Being somewhat low to the floor myself it's quite natural that I see things other more vertical people miss.  Suddenly I spotted something that to others probably looked like a small rock.  But I recognized it immediately.  It was a baby turtle!

I gently scooped it up.  I figured it was a snapping turtle since they have been spotted in the store before.  I truly don't know why wildlife is attracted to our store.  Sure the back warehouse is damp and somewhat secluded but there's no water and nothing to eat.  But every year we have our resident frogs and sometimes a stray snake or two.  I found a small garden snake last year and got to play with him for a few minutes before I turned him loose in the woods next to the store.

But back to my baby turtle...  I scooped him up and showed him to fellow employees all the while exclaiming, "I'm a happy little soul!"  Quite the wordsmith, aren't I?  We were all sure it was a snapping turtle because he stuck his head out and opened his mouth.  For such a little fellow he was intimidating.

The next day I took him back to work to turn him loose.  A fellow employee who was off the day before said it was a box turtle.  I have always wanted to find a baby box turtle.  But I was not sure I wanted to be responsible for another pet.

I was unsure what to do with him so I stopped at the local reptile store on my way home.  After being told that the politically correct thing to do was to turn him loose near where I found him and let nature take it's course.  As we had a freeze warning for that night it was clear what that course would be.  She said that if it was her she would take it home and keep it till it was doubled in size before letting him go.  So I took him home and set him up in his own terrarium.

After a couple of day he still wasn't eating and I was starting to get concerned.  I even got some frozen blood worms.  He was having none of it.  So I started doing some online research.  I finally figured out that he is an aquatic turtle and not a box turtle.  I have had one before so I know how to care for him.

Introducing Tootsie Turtle!

Tootsie checking out his basking rock

Looking large and in charge!

Little Tootsie is thriving now.  He spends his nights cuddled up under the moss.  In the morning he is so adorable with his tiny head poking out through the moss to check out his surroundings.  Actually his head isn't really tiny compared to his shell.  It's amazing how he gets a head that big into that shell.  He is getting quite proficient at swimming now.  I have lots of plastic greenery in the tank for him to get a grip on.  He's so little it's hard for him to outswim the current from the filter!  He is eating well.  I got some hatchling turtle food that he enjoys.

When I found him his shell was still soft and he was mostly black.  His shell is hard now and as you can see he has pretty yellow markings.  They show up in the close-ups but were hard to see with the naked eye.  He is starting to show yellow markings on his face as well.  Quite the handsome fellow.  Actually he might be a girl but I'll figure that out later!

Sharon

#turtle, #hatchlingturtle,