NH Turtle Rescue

10/20/2026

Exciting news! 🎉

Do you remember Lemna or Marzipan? 💚

Back in June 2025 we admitted Lemna, a female eastern musk turtle, after Conservation Officer Golden from NH Fish and Game found her injured on the road from a car hit. She was with us just short of a couple of months healing in our clinic, and we were able to release her together later that summer!

The Game Warden Channel (the same folks behind Northwoods Law) were tagging along with CO Golden during Lemna’s intake and release to film content for their series On Patrol New Hampshire. We gave them a tour of the clinic for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what we do as wild turtle rehabilitators. That episode was released last night, and is now available on YouTube (link in the comments)!

Lemna also laid her eggs while in our care, one of which was viable. After incubating the viable egg, we were very excited to welcome her hatchling, Marzipan (named because she only weighed as much as a couple of almonds!), into the world. This spring, CO Golden joined us again for Marzipan’s release too! It was another beautiful full circle moment.

Thank you CO Golden for being a turtle hero and an all around awesome person!

We hope you enjoy the episode! Let us know in the comments what you think!

10/18/2026

Last week we had the pleasure of visiting the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton to talk turtles with the residents!

Our Eastern Box Turtle ambassador Auggie joined us to give the residents an up-close look at one of our most endangered NH turtle species.

Thank you NHVH for the opportunity to give back to those who have given so much to the rest of us! 💚

10/17/2026

Come visit our booth at SELT - Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire’s Trailfest TODAY at Burley Farms in Epping!

🗓️ Saturday, October 17th
⏱️ 10am-3pm
📍 Burley Farms - 247 North River Rd Epping, NH

Trailfest is always an amazing time - lots of booths to check out, food, nature walks, and more. We hope to see you there!

09/29/2026

Dallas and Drew were interviewed by Wayne from the Warden's Watch podcast about Oka and the recent incidents in Hillsborough.

It's now available wherever you listen to podcasts – check it out!

In this episode of Warden’s Watch, Wayne follows up on the disturbing New Hampshire turtle cruelty case by sitting down with Dallas Huggins and Drew Stevens of the New Hampshire Turtle Rescue. They…

09/27/2026

Last week marked the beginning of fall, and wild turtles have begun making their ways back to their overwintering wetlands to brumate – a turtle’s version of hibernation.

The cooler weather also means that our resident ambassadors that have been in their outdoor enclosures during the spring and summer need to come inside until it gets warm again next year.

We are very pleased to have been able to upgrade our box turtle ambassadors’ indoor enclosures this year thanks to grant funding. We are constantly brainstorming and devising ways to improve the habitats for our resident ambassadors as well as our patients in order to reduce stress and help them to thrive.

These enclosures are outfitted with optimized basking areas, UV and full-spectrum LED lighting, and environmental monitoring of temperature and humidity levels to ensure proper thermal gradients and habitat conditions. Fans provide airflow and ventilation, while a custom misting system makes sure things don’t get too dry.

Each enclosure is also bioactive and planted with live native flora that mimics their natural habitat. Earthworms, springtails, and other invertebrates help to keep things clean while also providing enrichment and nourishment for the inhabitants – our box turtles REALLY enjoy hunting earthworms!

The best part of this system is that it is almost entirely automated: the lights are programmed to emulate sunrise and sunset; the misting system activates if the humidity drops, and the basking lamps and fans adjust themselves to maintain optimal basking zones and cool zones. The only regular maintenance we have to do is change out their water trays and feed them.

By automating and remotely monitoring our setups, we free up time that we can dedicate to patient care. At over 525 patients so far this year, every bit of extra time that we can reclaim matters!

09/19/2026

TODAY, Saturday, September 19th, we will be at Spring Hill Farm in Chester for the 8th annual Fall Festival from 10am-4pm. We hope you'll come visit us!

📍 96 Towle Rd. Chester, NH
📅 Saturday, September 19th
⏰ 10am to 4pm

09/16/2026

An article from InDepthNH about our effort to increase turtle protections in NH.

Head to our website to find out more about Oka's Rule, and how you can voice your support for the petition to NH Fish and Game – you can find the link in the comments.

That’s why New Hampshire Turtle Rescue President Drew Stevens is pushing for greater legal protection for all of the state’s native turtle species.

09/12/2026

Check out this great video featuring one of our favorite native turtle species! 🐢💚

09/07/2026

UPDATE: Turtle heroes Erin and Angie are making it happen! Thank you to everyone who shared this to increase visibility! 🐢💚

‼️ URGENT NEED ‼️

We are dealing with an injured turtle situation right now up in Jefferson, NH. We have limited support from our Turtle Transport Network up that far north. Is anyone able to help with at least a partial transport to us in Nottingham? We have someone able to meet halfway, but looking for any help getting the turtle from Jefferson to a bit further south. Thank you!

09/05/2026

It’s officially ✨hatchling season ✨ right now!

We’ve been getting lots of calls from people finding hatchlings in all sorts of places and wondering what they should do with them.

If you find a hatchling in a risky place (crossing a road, in your swimming pool, your lawn that you’re about to mow, etc.) then move it to safety in the direction it was headed, if possible. Hatchlings may look rough when they first emerge from their nests, but they’ve got incredibly keen instincts to help them get to where they need to go.

Don’t relocate hatchlings that you encounter! It is incredibly difficult to tell hatchlings apart, and each species has its own unique habitat requirements. Placing a hatchling in the wrong place could end up doing more harm than good.

Concerned or unsure what the best thing to do would be? Give us a call or text – we’re happy to identify the species and offer guidance!

Make sure to pay extra attention to the road when driving as well; hatchlings are very small and difficult to see, and a lot of them blend in with the road really well.

And, as always, never pick up a hatchling and take it home! If you think it may need help, get in touch with us and we can assess the situation.

A little bit of assistance can go a long way towards helping our little turtles make it longterm! 🐢💚