Turtle I found while fishing

[JEAE21]

Hey I just took home a turtle I found while fishing by a creek. It seemed like a thrown-away pet, but I'm sure it's not the red-ear sliders that are roaming around here.

I'll post pictures up soon, and I was wondering what I would need if I will be keeping it in a tank. Such as the water temperature, water level, etc.
Can aquatic turtles handle tap water? Or do I need to get pond water(or tap water that has been out in the sun for a day)

And how do aquatic turtles sleep? Out of the water or in the water with their necks sticking out?

I also need to know what to feed this guy. I have some minnows with him right now and he ate some raw fish, but I wanted to move onto pellets.
How many goldfish would a 7" turtle eat in a day? (or how much is the right amont to give him?)


http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g317/JEAE/?action=view&current=Kame-San074.jpg
http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g317/JEAE/?action=view&current=Kame-San073.jpg
http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g317/JEAE/?action=view&current=Kame-San071.jpg

 

[Fish_are_fishfood]

Hell there, welcome to MFK, I am not sure about turtle care, but I remember I once found a throw away turtle pet in a stream near my house. I cant remember what type it was, all I remember is seeing it frozen dead at the bottom of the stream

 

[santoury]

Check your native lists - that is a type of mud turtle - See if they are native or not.

 

[scrubnurseshelbie]

We keep our turtles in a big tank with about 6 inches of water or so and then we put rocks in the water so they can climb out to sun themselves. We just use tap water, we have a filter on the tank, a heater in the water to keep the water somewhat warm, and we have a reptile heat lamp over it on during the day so they can sun themselves. We just feed them aquatic turtle pellets which you can get at most any LFS. Hope this helps!

 

[Tylervsmith]

Put Him/her back its a mud turtle who most likely is native... but to be sure look at a native species list

 

[JEAE21]

I live in California and I read that the western pond turtle is the only native turtle in CA.

Do you know what kind of mud turtle he is? He has like a flapping door in the front that lets him hide completly.

And how many goldfish do people feed their turtles a day?
I want to move him onto pellets but is it possible?

 

[estuary]

try feeding it turtle pellets, water plants, cucumber a portion the size of the turtles head a day

 

[Tylervsmith]

sonoran mud turtle

It IS a sonoran mud turtle.

Which I do believe is native. Put It back.

 

[JEAE21]

I contacted DFG right now because online it said that the western mud turtle is the only native turtle in CA.
The sonora could be extinct here.

So for a few days(or more) I will be keeping him, how many goldfish does he eat per day?(7" turtle)

 

[MicropterusSalmoides]

throw some in he shouldnt catch them all