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Turtle Question

wmdude102086

wmdude102086

Cory
Isnt there a law(it may be only in PA) that says a baby turtle has to be a certain size before it can be sold? The reason I am askin is because there was this baby turtle at the Harmar Reptile Show and it was TINY!
Abbey001.jpg
 
I've heard that too. I think it just applies to pet stores..(?) Not sure though.
They're all small at some time though I guess... :shrugs:
 
Turtles underneath 4 inches are illegal to sell as pets in the united states.
It's been a law since the 1970's if they sell that as a pet and the FDA catches them they can force the owner to reliquish the animals to be destroyed.
Same thing with some random joe owning one, if the authorities find out in theory they could be prosicuted for it.
This is all due to salmonella concerns.

http://www.scserp.com/SCS_Care_Sheet_Four_Inch_Turtle_Law.htm
http://www.tortoise.org/general/4inch.html
http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpggenl/cpg170-100.html
 
Corny Noob said:
Turtles underneath 4 inches are illegal to sell as pets in the united states.
It's been a law since the 1970's if they sell that as a pet and the FDA catches them they can force the owner to reliquish the animals to be destroyed.
Click to expand...

That's why the tank of red eared sliders at pet stores always has a sign over it that says "For Educational Purposes Only". :rolleyes: I've always thought that was dumb.

It's probably because some hippie kid tried to lick frogs and turtles to get high in the 60's and got sick or something. :grin01:
 
I see them all the time in Florida, both at stores and shows. I think it's a stupid law- like they suddenly don't have salmonella when they reach four inches? Like snakes don't have it? Like virtually all domestic poultry, live and butchered, doesn't have it?

Nanci
 
A study I heard about on NPR said that some 80% of raw chicken contains salmonella.

Therefore, chicken wings under 4 inches should be sold for educational purposes only. Am I right or am I right?
 
I can see it being a law in order to protect the turtles from improper housing. The last thing you want is someone buying a baby RES and putting it in a gold fish blow and thinking they've done good. If they can only be sold once they reach 4 inches at least people know that these things don't stay so tiny.
Turtles at illegal to buy or sell in Alberta, I used to think this was stupid but now seeing the dozens of adult rescues our local reptile societies has and can't find homes for I can understand why. Way to many people buy these things and really have no clue that they are buying a 10+ inch animal that will need at 90+ gallon tank and super powerful filter to go with it. So then when it outgrows it's tank they either throw it away, dump in on the rescue societies door step or keep it in way too small of housing for the rest of it's life.
 
One of the main reasons the four inch law was put into place in the seventies is because it became popular and fairly common for little children to have them as pets, the four inch law was actually put into place to help refrain small children from being able to fit the turtles in their mouths! mainly because salmonella effects children more so than adults. there were enough cases of hospitalized children from putting the little boogers in there mouths that the four inch law was made. just some useless information, that i will probably never use again lol!! :)
 
Just because you can't fit the whole turtle in your mouth doesn't mean you can't fit some of the turtle in your mouth! Or kiss it or whatever.

Nanci
 
Nanci said:
Just because you can't fit the whole turtle in your mouth doesn't mean you can't fit some of the turtle in your mouth! Or kiss it or whatever.
Click to expand...

No kidding. And what about all the other supposed salmonella carriers that could fit in a kid's mouth? Just about any young frog or toad, baby chameleons, anoles, baby geckos, baby cornsnakes, etc.

And don't get me started on the chicks and ducks that feed stores sell for $1 around Easter. Those little suckers are poop machines. I'd be way more worried about my kid eating duck poop than trying to fit a turtle in its mouth. :rolleyes:

I've had salmonella twice (fast food chicken sandwich once, a friend's cookout the second time) and I still don't worry about catching it from my birds or my reptiles.
 
I know its stupid but thats one of the reasons, i dont know what would posses a kid to stick a baby turtle in there mouth, maybe its some kind of special bonding or something lol! But that was one reason behind it, evidently there where some serious cases of salmonella poisoning in small children. but i dont ever remember keeping a turtle when i was little and wanting to put it in my mouth, but whatever floats your boat! :grin01:
 
Kids put _everything_ in their mouths!

I think those baby RES are unfortunately throw-away animals, like baby green iguanas. They are produced by the thousands- no one cares what happens to them after your kid gets sick of it after a week...Kind of like how the colored Easter chicks used to be, only now you can't buy those in the pet store, but you can still buy them in the feed store, but maybe that cuts down on the mis-treatment, because most parents aren't impulse buying in a feed store.

Nanci
 
wmdude102086 said:
Isnt there a law(it may be only in PA) that says a baby turtle has to be a certain size before it can be sold? The reason I am askin is because there was this baby turtle at the Harmar Reptile Show and it was TINY!
Abbey001.jpg
Click to expand...
At the Harmar show, these turtles usually have the "For Educational Purpose Only" sign. Also some of the sellers there sell the turtle lagoon and give you the turtles for free.
 
Penman6668 said:
At the Harmar show, these turtles usually have the "For Educational Purpose Only" sign. Also some of the sellers there sell the turtle lagoon and give you the turtles for free.
Click to expand...
The only sign this little guy had was a
"Baby Turtle $10.00"

Not that I care if they were selling it but like I said I thought there was a law and was just curious
 
Louisianna is trying to change the 1975 law, saying treatment of salmonella in turtles has greatly advanced. Apparently the state sells a lot of hatchlings overseas.

Nanci

As read in the new really good issue of Reptiles.
 
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