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Caring for Wood Turtle

22 16:47:17

Question
My husband recently found a wood turtle hatchling in a parking lot.  He is about an inch long.  We put him in a tank with crushed walnut shells, and a water bowl for swimming.  I also provide light for basking.  We have had him for 5 days, but all he seems to do is sleep.  The first day we had him he seemed more active.  He went in his water several times.  With each successive day he gets less and less active.  He also has not eaten anything.  We tried box turtle food, romaine lettuce, and apples but he is not interested.  Any suggestions?  Should we release him/her?

Answer
Baby wood turtles are tricky pets, and wild-caught animals rarely adapt to captivity well.

Wood turtles are also endangered in most of their range, so I'd certainly release it.

Should you decide to keep it, try this site: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-nawood.htm