Berkshire County Turtle Rescue Inc.

08/31/2026

Tonight is the last night you can shop for our Pampered Chef fundraiser! Check out the link below to get your goodies! 👇

SHOP HERE:

08/29/2026

I had to sneak up on the baby Eastern Painted turtles so I could get a decent video of them.

Today was an exhausting day, I cleaned all of the turtle tanks. Each habitat was completely emptied, cleaned and refilled with spring water. Each of the filters were taken outside and each component got washed.

I moved probably 1000 gallons of water today bucket by bucket. I'm exhausted!! But look how good the babies tank looks!

Now for some take out I'm hungry! Have a good evening! 🐢💚

08/28/2026

HEADS UP: Beware of T-Shirt Scam Comments on Our Page! 🚨

​We’ve recently noticed spam bots posting fake t-shirt and hoodie offers in the comments section of our posts. These accounts post images of custom apparel and reply with suspicious links to pop-up storefronts.

​Please DO NOT click these links or purchase anything from these comment threads. These are unauthorized, third-party scam accounts looking to steal personal information or credit card details.

​How to stay safe:
​We do not sell gear in comment threads. Any official gear, apparel, or fundraiser items will ONLY ever be posted directly in our main page updates by us.

​Never click external links in comments from profiles claiming to sell merchandise on our behalf.

​Help us out: If you spot one of these scam comments before we do, please report it to Facebook and flag it for us so we can delete and block the account.

​Looking for real rescue apparel? 🐢
If you’d ever like to support our rescue by wearing our gear, our only official merchandise store is hosted securely through Bonfire:
👉 https://www.bonfire.com/store/mending-shells-saving-lives/?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_share&utm_campaign=mending-shells-saving-lives&utm_content=default

​Thank you all for looking out for our community and helping us keep this page safe!

08/27/2026

Are you interested in becoming a wildlife Rehabilitator? This course is exactly where you should start! You'll learn about wildlife rehabilitation and what it's like to do it out of your home, just like I do! I'll be sharing the registration link when it comes out.

This is one of the best priced courses and it's hosted by two of my very good friends! If you have any questions feel free to reach out! 🐢💚

Hello Wildlife Friends! Please share this flyer on your pages and let everyone know our webinar, "Wildlife Rehabilitation: Beginning the Journey" will return in January 2027.

08/25/2026

Surgery Update: Priscilla the American Toad! 💚

​I have great news to share about Priscilla, she made it through her surgery today! Dr. Jordan successfully removed her foot, and she is already resting comfortably. Honestly, it feels like she’s already breathing a little sigh of relief!

While this is a major step forward, she still has a long road to recovery ahead:

Restricted Space: She’s currently settled into a smaller habitat to limit her movement while her body works on healing.

Extra Comfort: I've lined the floor of her enclosure with soft toad foam to give her extra padding and take any harsh pressure off her surgical site.

Next Steps: I’ll start offering her food tomorrow and am keeping my fingers crossed that she has an appetite!

Because it’s getting late in the season and her recovery will take time, Priscilla will be wintering over with me this year to make sure she gets all the care, warmth, and monitoring she needs.

​Thank you so much to everyone who sent love and healing energy her way, and a huge shoutout to Dr. Jordan for squeezing her into his busy schedule today to give her the best chance at a comfortable life!

​Stay tuned for more updates on her progress as she recovers. 🐸✨

08/23/2026

Meet Priscilla! 🐸💚

Sometimes rescue work brings us patients who leave us completely in awe of their resilience, and Priscilla is definitely one of them.

​This beautiful, absolute unit of a female American Toad (weighing in at a impressive 80 grams!) was spotted on a local hiking path by Lori, an amazing vet tech at South St. Veterinary Hospital. Lori immediately recognized how critical Priscilla's condition was and brought her straight to the rescue.

​Priscilla arrived with a severe, dangling injury to her back left leg that was heavily infested with fly strike and maggots. I spent hours flushing, cleaning, and meticulously picking larvae out of deep tissue pockets to stabilize her. She has been a total rockstar through her initial wound care, pain management, and fluid therapy!

​Her injury is too extensive to save the leg, so we are keeping her clean, comfortable, and stabilized until she can go in to see Dr. Jordan next week for a leg amputation. Amphibians are remarkably adaptable, and three-legged toads can live full, happy, thriving lives once healed—and Priscilla has already proven she’s a fighter.

​She has a long road of surgery and post-op recovery ahead, but she is getting the absolute best care possible. Please send all your good thoughts, love, and healing vibes Priscilla’s way as we prepare for her big surgery this week!

​I'll keep everyone updated on her progress. Welcome to the rescue family, Priscilla! 🌿

08/21/2026

I am thrilled to share some wonderful news about Clark, the sweet common snapping turtle who came into my care at the end of June!

Thanks to time, proper treatment, and his incredible resilience, Clark has made a full recovery. His shell has healed absolutely beautifully, leaving him strong, healthy, and ready for the wild.

Check out the video below to watch his beautiful release back into his native habitat where he belongs! 💚🐢

Thank you all so much for your continued love, support, and encouragement throughout Clark’s healing journey. Together, we’re giving these incredible animals a second chance!

08/19/2026

Many of you in Berkshire County may have recently read a Letter to the Editor published in the Berkshire Eagle detailing an incident where a driver tried to assist a turtle that was subsequently run over on the road.

​What the public does not know is that before this story was sent to the newspaper, it was sent directly to me.

​When the author first reached out through our rescue’s contact form to detail this horrific road incident, I responded with genuine compassion, empathy, and validation for how distressing it is to witness wildlife trauma. I took time out of my day to offer support.

​His reply to my thoughtful email?
"I had my doubts that you'd run it, but it was therapeutic to write it."

​I was deeply offended—and frankly appalled. I do not run a newspaper, a blog, or a media outlet looking for graphic content. I run a licensed wildlife rescue. I manage this organization in my personal time while working a full-time job—not for money, glory, or attention, but because I care deeply about our native wildlife.

​It is incredibly unfair and harmful when people use wildlife rehabilitators as an emotional dumping ground for graphic, distressing stories just to relieve their own guilt, without actually taking steps to save or help the animal.

​When he didn't get the platform or public reaction he wanted from me, he took his story to the Berkshire Eagle—effectively putting himself out there to show the community that he cared enough to pull over, but not enough to actually get the animal emergency medical care.

The Harsh Reality is that the author admitted to using his foot to move this severely injured turtle by the side of the road near the water.

​Turtles have an exceptionally slow metabolism. Even when an animal has suffered catastrophic, horrific injuries, they remain conscious and can suffer in excruciating pain for hours, days, or even weeks before finally dying. Leaving a living, crushed animal by the road is not peaceful—it prolongs immense agony.

​Now, not only am I burdened with the haunting knowledge that this turtle was left to suffer, but our entire community reading that article is left with that same painful weight—all while being given terrible advice on how to handle injured wildlife.

​If You Find an Injured Turtle, DO NOT BE LIKE THIS:

​Do NOT leave a living animal behind. If an animal is crushed or disemboweled, do not walk away or drive home before calling us. By the time a rehabilitator gets a message and drives out, that animal has often crawled away to die slowly in the brush.

WHAT TO DO!
Contain the Animal Immediately: Gently lift the turtle into a box, bin, or the floorboard of your car.

​Call a Rehabilitator or Vet Right Away: Even in worst-case scenarios where injuries are fatal, bringing the animal to a licensed rehabilitator or emergency clinic ensures their suffering is ended humanely and swiftly. No animal deserves to die in agony on the shoulder of a road.

​Wildlife rehabilitators are here to save lives and relieve animal suffering—we are not a soundboard for vicarious trauma or a publisher for op-eds. If you encounter an animal in distress, focus on getting them real help.

08/18/2026

Yesterday evening, I went out on a rescue call that reminded me just how fragile our local wildlife is and how big of an impact human litter really has. 🌲🦉

​Deep in the woods along a hiking trail, a juvenile Barred Owl was in desperate need of help. He was so severely weak and emaciated that he couldn't move, and to make matters worse, he was covered in discarded human trash.

​Barred Owls are absolute masters of camouflage. I must have walked past him point-blank five times before my eyes finally registered him blending seamlessly into the leaf litter.

Once he was safely secured, I met up with a wonderful volunteer from Lucky Rehabilitation Center, who has now officially taken over his care and rehab. I got the privilege of naming this brave little survivor Minerva.

He has a long road to recovery ahead of him but he’s in the best hands possible. 💚

​👉 Please head over to Lucky Rehabilitation Center page to follow Minerva’s journey, send some support, and get updates on his progress!

08/17/2026

**Community Help Needed***

This Russian Tortoise went missing around West St. Close to fort hill ave In Pittsfield about a week ago. Keep an eye out for this little guy and if you spot him, please capture him and call or text me! 413-663-4555