painted turtles

Question
Hi John,

Two days ago my husband and I found a baby painted turtle in a baseball field about 300ft from the nearest pond. Yesterday I took my dogs there to play and found another baby turtle. Both are the size of a quarter. They both reside in my apartment in a small plastic bin with the sand/dirt from the same field. I provided a small, shallow plate of water that I've been changing frequently and some sticks and rocks to make things a little interesting. They have been hiding away at night to sleep and one of them walks through the water from time to time.

Otherwise they don't move around much and haven't eaten anything. I tried cabbage and I purchased ZOO-MED Natural Aquatic Turtle Food (Hatchling Formula) I'd put in a pinch of pellets at a time and leave them be for a little over an hour and it doesn't seem that they have been eating it at all. I make sure to throw it away after that time and change the water.

I'm considering putting them back in the wild but not sure if that's appropriate now. It's been 2days for the 1st turtle and 1day for the 2nd turtle indoors. I don't know if I would be putting them back to just be eaten by another animal or if they'd be taken care of by another family of turtles. There is a 2nd pond, a few minutes away by walking, with a bunch of adult/young adult painted turtles.

SO I guess my questions are; what do I do to make sure they survive inside my home OR what do I do to transition them back outdoors AND which is the best for them?

Thank you for your time!
~Jen

Answer
Hey Jen, sorry about the delay. What I would do is exactly what you suggest. Put them back into the wild as they have the instincts and capabilities to survive which is the best for them. I woud release them into the pond where you originally found them as this was their home.