Turtles everywhere!

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
Although I have seen turtles everywhere, they seem to be daredevils. Some make it. Some don't At the So far, I rescued 8 Boxers of various sizes in the Southern part of SMC. The most recent was today. He was in the center of Route 235. How he didn't get hit, who knows. I turned around and brought him to a new home with plenty of wild blackberries water and other food. Unfortunately, he will probably become a fat turtle. The others I deposited in similar areas with plenty of food/water sources. What is interesting is that I learned that boxers and other species can travel pretty long distances for a turtle. I was telling a neighbor about the turtles. He has one that hangs around because he feeds it. It never used to be that way. This Boxer turtle is affectionately called "Flat Top" because a lawn mower shaved off the very tip of his shell. Probably should have called him "Lucky" instead. Anyhow, this turtle traveled every day a quarter of a mile back and forth, " several times" The neighbor was tracking him before he decided to stay at their home. For turtle, this may be quite a distance.

But, lets try it if you have "webbed feet". At the beginning of St. Jerome's Neck Road, I picked up a good sized Terrapin. He had just started to finish crossing the lawn on to a person's front yard. I bet if she was home, she would have had the surprise of her life. Terrapin's are pretty easy to spot. The shape of the head, under belly, and of course the shell structure. But the dead give away that it was away from home is the webbed feet. I had to do some heavy detective work to come to a hypothesis how it got to where it did the fact a sea turtle was still alive.

A aerial view of the area made it much easier to understand. 1) There was a branch of St. Jerome's Creek that came up quite a distance north, most of the way up along side St. Jerome's Neck Road. We have had a lot of flooding tides lately. And a lot of heavy rain. All ingredients to make it much easier for a sea turtle. Plus, he may have found a nearby pond walking distance away from where I found him. I was not surprised that he was quite healthy. The pond probably had some food sources for him.

He was quite heavy. But, I was able to load him in to the back of my P/U and back to his natural habitat. He seemed glad to get home. If a turtle could run, I would say he did.
 
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SamSpade

Well-Known Member
I've also noticed a lot more turtles this season than I see typically. I've already pulled two out of my pool's skimmers, and my neighbor has said the same. And I've rescued a handful trying to cross the road.

Sadly we saw one get hit coming home the other day - we missed hitting him, but the driver behind us was too close for us to stop - and he swerved but failed to miss him.

I hate it when I see turtles get it - seems so unfair you can live many years and get killed crossing a road.
 

Sapidus

Well-Known Member
I saw a box turtle digging a nest for her eggs on Saturday near Cove point.


The week before a 2 inch mud turtle washed up on the bay beach in front of my house. I drove him over to Cove Lake.
 

RodRugg

Active Member
I went to take my grandma's hedge busters to town to get them tightened and I counted seven turtles when I usually see one or none. My grandma says it's because of all the sin in the world. One time she took this class on demon casting at her "church" and they learned to cast demons into pigs and turtles because they was the smartest animals so they would know what to do. Pigs run down the hill and jump in the river and drown and turtles find the nearest road and get hit by cars. But if somebody accidentally casts a demon in the wrong one they automatically become a wild boar or snapping turtle and that's real dangerous. She learned all kinds of amazing stuff about casting demons and they used rabbits to wash their hands when they got finished.
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
I went to take my grandma's hedge busters to town to get them tightened and I counted seven turtles when I usually see one or none. My grandma says it's because of all the sin in the world. One time she took this class on demon casting at her "church" and they learned to cast demons into pigs and turtles because they was the smartest animals so they would know what to do. Pigs run down the hill and jump in the river and drown and turtles find the nearest road and get hit by cars. But if somebody accidentally casts a demon in the wrong one they automatically become a wild boar or snapping turtle and that's real dangerous. She learned all kinds of amazing stuff about casting demons and they used rabbits to wash their hands when they got finished.

:lmao:
 
I used to have lots of box turtles in my yard. Every time one would cross the road, someone would stop, pick it up and take it away. I have no more turtles. :ohwell:
 

Agee

Well-Known Member
I've had a box turtle show-up every year on or around my car port for at least five years. Can identify the critter because its missing a portion of a hind leg... So last year I was cutting grass, you can figure out what happened next. Heard a thud, but nothing expelled out the grass shoot. Stopped the tractor and there was my little buddy with a nice shell cut across the top, with blood starting to run. Cleaned the shell, applied some Neosporin and a Band-Aid :cheesy: and sent him on his way.

Damn if he didn't come back this year, minus the band-aid and a new scar... :yay:
 

glhs837

Power with Control
I used to have lots of box turtles in my yard. Every time one would cross the road, someone would stop, pick it up and take it away. I have no more turtles. :ohwell:

So what I'm hearing you say is that other creatures cant stand to be around you :) Even to the point of running into traffic :)

On a serious note, who takes them away, as the OP said, it's straight line to the other side of the road for them.
 
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