Turtle & Tortoise Resource Guide
Transporting and Handling Turtles
How to Transport a Turtle
- Get a strong plastic container, such as one made by Rubbermaid ®, that is only slightly larger than your turtle and shallow enough so that when it is covered, the turtle can't flip over on its back. A small container prevents a turtle from moving around and possibly hurting itself. Never put more than one turtle in a container to minimize stress and prevent injury from biting and clawing.
- BEFORE putting the turtle in the container, drill or burn (using a soldering iron) many holes in the upper walls and lid for ventilation. Be sure the holes are smooth on the inside.
- Line the container with moist paper toweling or shredded newspaper. You want to put in enough bedding to keep the turtle from moving too much.
- After putting the turtle in the container, securely tie or tape the container shut. Be sure not to cover the ventilation holes!
- Put the turtle container in a Styrofoam cooler or cardboard box that is lined on the bottom, sides and top with crumbled or shredded newspaper. The outer box or cooler should have some ventilation holes.
- Keep the box out of the sun! Although turtles naturally bask in the sun, they know when to retreat to the cool water or shade to prevent overheating When YOU put them in a container, they depend on YOU to keep them at the right temperature. When traveling by car, you can drape a newspaper or towel over the turtle's box to shade it and prevent overheating. Never leave your turtle in a container in the sun or in a car parked in the sun, even if the container is shaded with a cloth or paper. The container can quickly overheat (that includes Styrofoam coolers) and kill your turtle!
How to Handle a Turtle
Part of the joy of keeping pet turtles is that they often seem quite "friendly", paddling or plodding over to greet you. Never mind that the animal really just sees you as a source of food, much like a wild duck does when you feed it bread in the park. It makes you feel good!
However, no turtle enjoys being picked up. Very tame animals may tolerate handling well, but this does not mean that they like it.
Handling, of course, is necessary from time to time as a part of routine care and health inspection. And folks just naturally want to pick up and show their pet turtle to their friends. If you are going to handle a turtle, here are some guidelines to make the experience less stressful for the animal and safer for you.
Picking Up a Turtle
DO pick up a turtle using both of your hands, one on each side of the shell, between the front and back legs. It isn't a good idea to pick up a turtle using just one hand. Turtles are quite good at freeing themselves with a bit of wiggling, kicking, clawing and biting. Some are surprisingly slippery too!
DON'T pick up a turtle by the tail (that includes snappers!) It can dislocate (separate) the bones in the tail, which is very painful for the turtle.
Holding a Turtle
Turtle Turning Tips
DON'T turn a turtle quickly. A quick flip, swing or twist can pull painfully on organs and connecting tissue. You don't want to move a turtle around so fast that its organs have to play "catch up!" It should take at least two full seconds to turn an animal over, counting: "one-thousand one, one-thousand two."
DO rotate the animal head over tail (or tail over head) rather than side over side if you want to look at the plastron (bottom shell). (Clearly this may not be possible with very big or aggressive turtles where you need to keep the head pointed away from you at all times.) Turning a turtle side over side can cause the intestine to twist, which is painful and can kill your turtle.
DON'T complete the circle! When you need to turn a turtle over, don't put the animal through a full 360 degrees of revolution (a complete circle), just 180 degrees to minimize the chances of twisting the intestines.
DON'T keep a turtle on its back any longer than absolutely necessary. Such a position is unnatural and stressful to the animal. Turtles stuck on their back feel out of control, vulnerable to predators. All of their instincts tell them to turn over, or if that isn't possible, to draw into their shell for some protection. A turtle on its back isn't a happy camper!
DON'T gesture with your hands while holding a turtle. Remember, it's a living creature and may suffer stress from being waved around. If you need to move your hands, avoid quick hand movements or changes in direction; move slowly and smoothly.
DO put the animal down as gently as possible to avoid injury to the legs or internal organs.
DO remember that a turtle's shell is living tissue, and is quite sensitive to touch. Avoid tapping on it, and never strike the shell against another surface. Aside from possibly injuring the shell, it can be stressful on the turtle.
DON'T hold a turtle with a soft shell (young turtles, species of turtles with naturally soft shells, turtles with diseases that make their shell soft) by the back edge of the shell. It can cause permanent damage. Try to apply as little pressure as possible to the shell when restraining the animal. Keep in mind that it generally requires less pressure to get a good grip when you use a two-handed hold than when you use a one-handed hold. Support the underside well.
DON'T put your fingers between the top and bottom shell at the front or back end of a box turtle. These turtles can box up quite tightly, pinching your fingers.