Meet Aubrey
Audrey the Red-eared slider that lived in a bucket
This poor Red-eared slider was rescued from spending 20 years of her life in a bucket! Commonly sold in pet stores, Red-eared sliders are found throughout the South-eastern United States in a variety of habitats. Unbelievably, Audrey survived the past 20 years in a cramped container living on a nutrient-deficient diet consisting only of egg whites. Over the years, the lack of proper nutrition and habitat caused her shell to become warped. Individual scutes became squished together, lumpy and asymmetrical, making her carapace permanently twist upwards. Luckily, she found a new home with Little RES Q.
When she came to Little RES Q, Audrey was cleaned, treated with fluids and given vitamins and calcium to improve her health. She is now enjoying a balanced diet that continues to strengthen her shell and body. Sadly though, she will never grow to look like a normal shaped turtle.
Little RES Q, a non-profit reptile rescue and adoption service based in the Greater Toronto Area is now sharing Audrey’s story with the world, so she can be a “spokes-turtle” for cruelty against reptiles. You can learn more about Audrey by visiting both her Facebook page and Twitter account through the Little RES Q
“Little RES Q is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and relocation of pet turtles in an attempt to keep them from being released into the wild. We provide a better option for those who, for one reason or another, cannot take care of their reptiles anymore. Founded in 2008 by Marc Ouellette, the rescue started as a dedicated aquatic turtle shelter in Toronto Ontario and has since grown to have locations across Ontario and Quebec and now accepts in most legal reptiles as space permits.”
Healthy Red-eared slider
Pet turtles, like the Red-eared slider, are problematic and invasive if released into Ontario wetlands. They can carry diseases that threaten our native turtles, and compete for the limited habitat and food available. Pet turtles often get purchased without proper research into their care. Most people don’t know that the average life span of these turtles in captivity is 50-70 years! Turtles are not as easy to look after as the pet store employee might suggest, complete understanding of the costs in both materials and time is needed for proper care of these amazing animals. Please do your research before buying any animal as a pet, despite Aubreys amazing story, life with an ill-educated owner is not an easy one.
Summary by: Shannon Ritchie (AAP Wetland Biologist)
Original Article by: Nadine Kalinauskas from Good News published Fri, 4 Jan, 2013 Yahoo News Blog
The poor thing! Hopefully she’s living the good life now in her new home!