Releasing my turtle

Question
I just want to know if i wanted to set my turtle free. is that okay? and if it is where can i release him?

Answer
For a successful 'wild' release, the turtle should not have been captive for more than 8 months, and it should go back within a mile of its capture site.

There are a lot of issues involved. A quick list of them would include:
- How likely is the turtle to carry an infection to the other turtles? Longer time in captivity = higher chance.
- How likely is the turtle to be able to find food, mates, hiding places, places to avoid enemies, etc.? The longer in captivity and the further from home, the harder this all is.
- Is it more likely to HELP a wild population (make it stronger, breed more, etc.) or HURT a wild population (bring it disease, outcompete for food, attack others, etc.) The longer it has been in captivity, the more likely it is to hurt a wild population.

Some other options:
- Find it a new home- flyers at local pet shops often work here.
- Release it to a non-wild setting, like a city park, where it cannot hurt the really wild turtles. Most city parks have a large comloy of released turtles it can fit in with.