want to know what this little guy is. i had a tortoise who sadly passed away some time ago and my sister found this guy and took it home wondering if i would want it. any help with the species and help taking care of him would be greatly appreciated
I'm sorry about your tort
... but you should put him back wherever he was found. I think he's far rather be bobbing about in a local pond than a tank
That looks like a mud turtle, but I'll bet @Yvonne G or @Anthony P have suggestions.
No, all wrong except Elmo's Yellow - that's a mud turtle. He lives in the water, not a tortoise at all. I don't think it's native to Florida. If you have a pond or don't mind the hard work of keeping an aquarium clean (big job with a water turtle), then you might think of keeping it. But if not, call around to local turtle rescues and turn him in.
Florida has these species of mud turtle as natives:
Sorry to hear about the passing of your tort.
But please put this little fellow back where you found him.
The Eastern Mud Turtle (if that's what it is) is native to Florida and likes to walk along the bottom of the water rather than swim, so may prove difficult to keep. I think you'd need a pretty big tank.
Way off in every single way. I bred this species for years. It is 100% a Kinosternon baurii.
I don't mean to be brash, but an ID that differs that greatly can really lead someone to provide grossly inappropriate care. We are all here because we love turtles, so surely we don't want this animal to suffer.