Found this guy at a local park (in Arizona, so non-native species, right?). I don’t know turtle species super well, but the spotty legs and head made me think diamondback terrapin.
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Yup, definite Diamondback.
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Okay cool! I would love to be able to keep him. Do you know if they could be housed outdoors here in Arizona or is it simply too hot in the summer? I was thinking giant horse trough style pond type thing?
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I’m not familiar with their care other than that they live in brackish water in the wild, so they may need it in captivity.
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Yeah that’s what I’ve read. Apparently captive bred ones that have been raised in freshwater can do fine, but wild caught need brackish. Obviously I have no idea of this guy’s origin, so I would probably need to do brackish if I was going to set him up.
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Make sure to check your local laws. Those are not legal to own in certain states.
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They are legal to own in Arizona from what I have read. They aren’t native so they aren’t protected. Someone must have had it as a pet and released it. Which is illegal in Arizona so taking it out of the wild is better.
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Thank you, yes, I did double check our state laws and it seems like only native species are an issue. (Plus I see these guys at local expos all the time, so I figured they were probably okay to own.)
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Oh my gosh! I love those! I couldn’t actually choose a favorite turtle, but if I did, diamondback terrapins would certainly make it to nominee status. They are native in the estuaries here on the Gulf Coast. How big is this one?
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I think he’s full size, or nearly. He’s about 6 inches (shell length). And he does appear to be male. I’ve decided I am going to try keeping him. We’ve started the process of setting up a 110 gallon tank for him. In the meantime, I’ve been taking him out on the yard for a bit every day to make sure he’s getting some uvb and heat from the sun. He’s actually more friendly than my red eared slider that I had when I was a kid! Obviously doesn’t like being picked up, but he hasn’t attempted to bite at all.
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I’m jealous, lol. They’ve gotten to be super rare here in the wild for a lot of reasons. I would be thrilled to find one in a park. If I did I would leave it, but that’s here. You did the right thing in taking this one home. Coastal Mississippi and Arizona have very different ecosystems. Does he have a name?
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Yes! My kids want to name him Dragonfruit since his spotty skin looks like the inside of a dragon fruit.
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Lol that’s a good name. He does look a bit like dragonfruit, although I wouldn’t have thought of it. As long as he doesn’t smell like durian!
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