Turtle Rescue of NC

06/03/2026

More turtles headed back home for today’s releases. Happy lives out there little ones! “Crush” and “Robin” back where they belong. 🥰🐢

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

We love a full circle moment and today we had the pleasure of getting to meet back up with Catherine and her wonderful family to release the turtle they helped rescue last July.

This beautiful yellow bellied slider was found stuck to a downed log by fishing line with a hook in her face. We don’t know how long she had been stuck there, but she was splashing around and in obvious need of help. They quickly secured her and met me to hand off. When I got her we immediately noticed her plastron was covered in shell rot and in bad condition- possibly from being stuck for an extended time unable to dry herself and bask and becoming infected. On her X-ray we also discovered she had another hook internally.

We removed her face hook, treated her with injectable antibiotics for the infection, gave her pain meds and spent lots of time cleaning and disinfecting her shell so it would heal.

After attempting the least invasive methods we could to get the internal hook to pass, it became clear that it wasn’t budging- then it came down to whether she would be able to eat, digest, and eliminate her bowels with the hook in place. We determined after many months in care that the hook was not affecting her ability to do any of the above and weighing the risks of such an invasive procedure we decided to leave the hook in place.

Today she was returned home, free of infection with a stern warning to stay away from the fishermen!

If you happen to hook a turtle- PLEASE never cut the line and release them, if you are unable to remove the hook yourself- call a rehabilitation center and allow us to help them. Most of the time hooks need to be removed and can cause blockages, infection, or interfere with a turtles ability to eat and digest.

05/31/2026

Not all story’s have as happy of an ending- today we mourn the loss of a beautiful adult female eastern box turtle.

Sadly, her injuries were too severe to save her and we humanely euthanized her to end her suffering.

Euthanasia however, is not a failure! It is a gift given with the upmost respect and love for the individual receiving an escape from what would have been a long drawn out death.

We are so grateful to Cassandra who stopped and picked this girl up and brought her to us, sleeping kid in the backseat and all- many would have seen the injuries and thought- oh there’s nothing they can do for her and just left her there, but because of her willingness to help we could see that she was holding four tiny surprises filled with hope for the future on board.

We were able to extract her eggs and have placed them in our incubators hoping that in a couple months new life will begin!

Every time we lose a breeding age female box turtle my heart hurts not only for her, but for the loss of all the babies that will never be. The years of potential lost in an instant.

05/30/2026

There are some roadways and properties flooded in our area around Hemby Bridge/Lake Park/Indian Trail today after all the rains- please stay safe out there!

05/30/2026

We are getting lots of calls from people about turtles laying eggs in their yards.
Firstly- some people have ALL the luck!! I wish I could see this every single day!
Secondly, We are so excited that people care so much about our native turtles 🐢 and want to help them- so here is what we suggest:

Unless the nest has already been accidentally disturbed by a predator or unearthed by a construction project of some sort- it’s best to enjoy getting to witness such a special occasion and leave nature to do its thing!

**our rescue does not relocate eggs unnecessarily**

Yes, we realize that things COULD happen to the nest- skunks, raccoons, foxes, the neighbors golden retriever, etc..all love a tasty high protein egg treat and while we would hope that never ever happens- it’s nature and all parts of the life cycle of wildlife serves a valuable purpose.

If you feel you must find a way to protect the nest here’s some tips we found online on how to build a nest protector: https://thinkturtle.ca/make-a-nest-protector

The important part is making sure the hatchlings have a way to escape the protector when they emerge, the worst thing we could do would be to unintentionally harm the babies by trapping them inside while trying to help them. That would be a devastating discovery for a well intentioned person.

05/30/2026

The evolution of JB’s bandages. 🤪😂 sometimes a little vet wrap bow from yesterday’s bandage wrap makes all the difference. 🥰

05/29/2026

F***l floats in the spring down south be like…. 😂 what do you see?

05/28/2026

Savannah the Mud Turtle here, saying Hi!! 👋 How anyone saw this tiny 33 gram turtle in the roadway is amazing, but someone did and got him to safety and help! He was struck by a car and suffered fractures to the left cranial portion of his carapace and is showing some signs of head trauma. While his prognosis remains guarded he is being kept comfortable and treated for his injuries. Thank you to everyone who makes the work we do possible through your support!