OMG! baby red eared sliders are illegal to have if they're under 4''????! is that true?

Question

i found an article at http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_info.html#legal_issues

concerning red ear slider legal issues, would someone please read and see if it's true? i have two 2 inch red ear sliders, and i want to know if there's anything wrong about that. let me know, thanx.

Answer 1

In the USA it is a FDA regulation that bans the SALE of 4" or under turtles. It was originally set up to protect children from salmonella - good intentions, bad law.

Possesion of 4" or under turtles is not illegal.

Answer 2

Yes, it is illegal (in most of the US) to buy or sell baby turtles without the proper paperwork to indicate that they are being used for 'legitimate scientific, educational, or display purposes'.

A lot of people sidestep the law, and in a lot of places there is little enforcement. Once you have the turtles, there is not a big problem, however.

The reason given for the law is to minimize the chances of Salmonella, a common food poisoning that turtles often carry (because of soiled living conditions).

The REAL reason for the law was to help cut back on the slaughter of baby turtles. Between the mass capturing, the habitat destruction, the inhumane shipping conditions, and the lies people were told about caring for them, 99% or more of the baby turtles sold will die within 6 months. When the laws were passed, no one cared about this, so the organizers used the health issue to pass the laws.

Most of the conditions are a lot better now- but there are still a lot of myths out there about how to care for turtles.

Answer 3

Feeder Items: live feeder fish (guppies, goldfish, minnows), earthworms, crickets, waxworms, earthworms, silkworms, aquatic snails, blood worms, daphnia, shrimp, krill, mealworms. For very small turtles, prey may have to be cut into smaller pieces. Larger turtles can be offered larger items like tadpoles. Leafy greens: collard, mustard and dandelion greens, kale, bok choy. Head (iceberg) lettuce should never be feed as it contains very little nutrition, but dark green leaf lettuces (e.g romaine) can be feed sparingly Aquatic plants: in an aquarium or pond you can add aquatic plants on which turtles usually love to snack. Submerged plants like anacharis are often eaten, as are water hyacinth, water lettuce, duckweed, azolla (fairy moss), and frog-bit. Other vegetables: carrots (tops are fine too), squash and green beans. Supplements A good reptile multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D3 shoule be mixed with the food a couple of times a week. Also, an excellent way to provide additional calcium is by putting a cuttlebone in the turtle tank. These are often avaiable in the bird section, and they can be affixed to the tank or just floated in the water Set them on a 20 gallon tank per dozen turtles . Provide them with a dry land area and a shallow water area. Newborns need to master the art of floating and staying underwater for long periods of time. Don't assume that they will survive only with water. Newborn Red-Ear sliders can actually drown if you neglect them a dry land area. The water should be not too deep. As with adult sliders, newborns need to have their full spectrum light. So don't forget to include that in the tank. The full spectrum light will help the newborn shells to harden. Keep the water neatly clean. If you don't have a filter change the water every two days. This is very important since baby sliders are more prone to getting eye infections (that can leave them blind for life or even kill them) than adult sliders. Keep the water neatly clean, provide him with a full spectrum light, keep him warm (about 80 degrees), and add vitamin supplements to his diet. Make sure the supplements are high in vitamin A and calc they are friendly but always wash your hands after, some carry salomales

Answer 4

The laws depend on what state you live in. Usually baby turtles are illegal to keep because of salmonella. Often the law about the size is because a small turtle hasn't had time to breed yet and if all the turtles are in captivity before they reach sexual maturity they will become endangered in the wild and no new turtles will be hatched. The article you referred to says it is NOT illegal to own them under 4" but in some states it is illegal to own them no matter what size they are.

Answer 5

are these the mini turtles? If so then yes they are illegal. I spent two years visiting pet stores to see if one would sell me one under the table. The closest I got was one employee being honest enough to tell me they got them by mistake all the time, but the owner kept them for his "preferred" clients.

Answer 6

well it depends, if you got it from the pet store then there is no way it could be illegal but,on the other hand if you got it from a friend then there is a posability,sorry to say BUT dont worry if you can find place that you can get information at and if its illegal then have the person who gave it to you save it tell it grows old anof. But i doubt its illegal.

Answer 7

The states don't let pet stores sell them. Only a wholesale can sell them and not get in trouble. Many people in L.A. go to little china town and get them which is againist the law to do.....You really have nothing to worry about unless you sale them under 4inches.

Answer 8

Yes, all turtles legally have to be 4" across the carapice to be sold. If you already have them, you are OK. They are illegal to SELL, not illegal to OWN.

Answer 9

This might sound wierd but I've heard it several times...............the reasoning for not allowing turtles to be kept under 4" is that a turtle bigger than that could not easily fit in a child's mouth but a smaller turtle could. And since they are notorious for carrying salmonella................I swear I've heard that on the news before!

Answer 10

yes technically it is illegal to sell them unless you are

A. going to use it for educational purpose's. like if you are a teacher or even a home school teacher who wants to teach your kids.

B. using it for scientific study..... OK that ones just dumb i think weve got RES pritty well down.

C. If you are a reptile enthusiest.. Ya now thats a big loop hole.. i personaly consider myself a reptile enthusiest how about you?

its a big loop hole in the law that means realy all you have to do is sighn a papper agreeing to one of the above and then its legal to sell them to you.