10/14/2026
Rusty's Fall Adventure!
Rusty, patient 2026-210, was found sitting outside a cranberry bog after a recent harvest, and the finder was concerned because his shell looked cracked and he seemed like he was resting. After reviewing the photos, we decided to have her contain the turtle, but not because we thought he was injured.
It turned out he was absolutely COVERED in thick, hardened mud! His shell was likely okay, but we weren't sure if injury or infection was hiding underneath, and his restful nature had us concerned.
The challenge was that he was over 2 hours away from us by car! We were able to get transport to Susan Siegal of Return2Wild in Norfolk, MA, and she completed the initial triage and evaluation before transferring to us for a secondary opinion. After Rusty had attempted (and failed) his great escape from her rehab center, he was showing all the normal snapping turtle signs of good health, but Susan wanted to be sure!
When Rusty arrived, we fell in love with him. He is a very old boy! His shell was worn from age, and he was the color of rusty mud, which is how he got his name. He has big, sweet eyes, and a very gentle spirit. This shy baby didn't snap at us once, just angled away when he didn't want to look at us.
He went through a few days of observation after his exam, and we too came to the conclusion that he is healthy and should be released. His eyes were clear and bright, he had a perfectly pink mouth, he did not have any mucus or stringy saliva, and he was not lacking in energy or normal reactions. He was transported back to Susan and is now happily home in the wild!
We want to give a huge shout out to Susan and her team for helping Rusty! Rehab is a community effort, and we are so grateful that they were available to lend a hand.
