Turtles are different from everything else on this site
With most animals we tell you to wait and watch. With turtles it is close to the opposite. Cracked shells do not heal on their own, and infection moves slowly enough that a badly injured turtle can keep walking around for weeks before it dies. "It is still moving" is not evidence that it is fine.
Call or text us: 901-340-6534.
Does it need help?
A turtle just crossing a road is not in trouble. Move it across in the direction it was ALREADY heading and let it go on the far side. Do not carry it somewhere you think is safer.
It does need help if you see:
Any crack, chip, or fracture in the shell
Blood or open wounds
Flies or maggots
Puncture marks from a dog
A fishing hook or line
It was hit by a car or a lawnmower
It cannot right itself, or is not responding
Before you pick it up — mark the spot
This is the most important turtle rule on the page. Turtles, box turtles especially, live their whole lives in a small fixed home range. A turtle released somewhere unfamiliar will spend the rest of its life trying to walk home, and usually dies trying.
That makes where you found it a piece of medical information. Drop a pin on your phone before you move it, or write down the exact address, nearest intersection, or mile marker. We cannot release a turtle unless we know precisely where it came from.
How to contain it — this is NOT like the mammals
NEVER put a turtle in water. Not even an aquatic one. An injured or weak turtle will drown in a bucket or a tub.
DO NOT apply heat. Turtles are cold-blooded, and warming them up speeds up infection. Room temperature only. Ignore the heating-pad advice on our other pages — it does not apply here.
A plastic container with a secure lid — a Rubbermaid tote or similar. Turtles climb better than you would think. Punch air holes before it goes in.
Cardboard is a poor choice for reptiles. Use plastic.
A DAMP paper towel on the bottom for humidity. Damp, not wet. No standing water.
Room temperature, dark, quiet, away from pets.
If the shell is broken, keep movement to a minimum. It hurts.
If it is a snapping turtle
We have plenty of them out here. Never lift a snapper by the tail — it dislocates their spine. Large ones reach 19 inches and 35 pounds, with a neck far longer than it looks and jaws to match. Keep your hands away from the front half of the animal and wear gloves.
Grip the back of the shell just above the hind legs.
Or the "pizza hold" — one flat hand under the belly, the other steadying at the base of the tail.
Safest option: put the container over the turtle and slide something flat underneath.
Very large turtle? A snow shovel or a car floor mat works well for dragging it a short distance.
What not to do
No food, no water.
NO home first aid on a shell. No superglue, no epoxy, no duct tape, no hydrogen peroxide, no antibiotic ointment. All of these seal bacteria inside the wound and can make a repairable shell unrepairable.
Do not try to reposition broken pieces of shell.
Do not put it in a pond, a bathtub, or a bucket of water.
Do not keep it. Tennessee restricts taking native wildlife from the wild, and box turtles are declining statewide — collection for pets is one of the named reasons why.
Wash your hands afterward. Salmonella.
Wildlife emergency? Text us at 901-340-6534