our turtle

Question
hello my grandson was giving a turtle someone says its a painted one.well he's been doin pretty good we got him a turtle tank from the pet store and it has a little hill and looks to be a feeding bowl.well he has been eating turtle food we got form the store but now he hasn't been eating at all for past week.Can you return him to the lake now that he's been in a tank since he hatched or will he not beable to take care of himself? i ahte to keep a animal in a bowl when if he'd be happier free.

Answer
You can release it, with two caveats:

1.) Do it soon before it gets colder.

2.) Release it close to people- a pond in a city park, for example. Otherwise, the diseases it has been exposed to in captivity can spread through an unprepared wild population.