I was reading about these little turtle's,because my daughter came home with one today. Is it illegal?

Question

I read that I have to keep him/her in 5 gallon's of water? This tiny thing? He/she came with a little water and a small plastic aquarium. I want to be able to take care of him/her the right way. Anybody know anything special I have to do? I've mostly always had cat's.

Answer 1

Boy, here we go with the rediculous and unfounded answers again.

First, a turtle or tortoise is not "illegal" to possess unless it is a protected species in state or federal law.

Only the COMMERCIAL SALE of turtles and tortoises with a carapace length of less than 4" is prohibited by federal regulation. Unless you have a protected species, or you own a pet shop or are otherwise in the business of selling turtles to the public THERE IS NO LAW OR REGULATION WHICH APPLIES TO YOU.

Read my answer on that here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlyXYGUvMQW0ExKI7pDBGFMAAAAA?qid=20070226151233AA5jnBp&show=7#profile-info-AA12176583

Next, ANY Turtle, lizard, snake, or other animal can carry salmonella, especially if you keep it in dirty conditions. Many animals, including humans, carry salmonella from time to time. It is a part of daily life. You have a greater chance getting salmonella from handling and eating chicken, chicken eggs, and swine.

Reptiles ( especially fresh caught wild ones, or captive ones in poor conditions ) are known to carry it in their digestive tract. They also are known to carry Staphylococcus, did you know that? Aquatic turtles ( or specifically Red Eared Sliders ) don't just "have" salmonella. They carry salmonella most often because they do their business in the water and too many idiots keep them in a small dirty tank. Keep them clean and with a filtration system in the tank, dispose of uneaten food promptly, and you won't have to worry about it. This salmonella scare came about several decades ago because, to make a buck, people were raising these turtles by the thousands in cramped unsuitable and unclean conditions, being fed scaps of old rotting food for less overhead. It made a lot of people sick, and that's all the public remembers about Red Eared Sliders.

This is a list of Reptile-Associated Zoonoses ( things that can be passed from reptile to human ):

Aeromonas
Campylobacter
Citrobacter
Coccidia
Clostridium
Corynebacterium
Edwardsiella tarda
E. coli Enterobacter
Enterobacter
Klebsiella
Leptospira
Mycobacterium
Neisseria
Pasteurella
Pentastomiasis
Plesiomonas
Proteus
Serratia
Staphylococcus
Streptococcus
Yersinia

Now, this is the list of things more serious you can get from animals OTHER than reptiles:

Adenovirus
Amoebiasis
Anisakiasis
Anthrax
Babesiosis
Bartonella spp.
Blastomyces dermatides
Bordetella bronchiseptica
Brucellosis
Campylobacter spp.
Cat scratch fever
Cheyletiella
Chlamydia psittaci
Coccidia
Cryptosporidium spp.
Cysticercosis
Cytomegalovirus
Dengue
Dermatomycoses
E. coli
Echinococcosis
Ehrlichiosis
Erysipelothrix
Giardiasis
Hantavirus
Influenza
Leptospirosis
Listeriosis
Lyme Disease
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
Malaria
Mycobacterium spp.
Microsporum
Newcastle disease
Pasteurella spp.
Pfiesteria
Plague
Prion diseases*
Psittacosis
Pseudomonas
Pneumocystis carinii
Q Fever
Rabies virus
Rat-bite fever
Rhodococcus equi
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Salmonellosis
Scabies
Schistosoma
Streptococcus spp.
Tapeworms
Trichophyton
Trixacarus caviae
Toxoplasmosis
Tuberculosis
Tularemia
Viral hemorrhagic fever
Yellow fever
Yersiniosis

*The prion causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and ovine spongiform encephalopathy (scrapie) is also responsible for atypical Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Prion diseases have been recorded in the United States, as they are found in cattle, elk, mink, mule deer, and squirrel. CJD in humans in Kentucky has been linked to consumption of squirrel brains.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1310&S=4

Care for the plague anyone? Anthrax? How about rabies, hantavirus, or "mad cow"? Now how concerned are you about salmonella in a turtle?

It's pure idiocy for someone to answer that the turtles are illegal because they are "too small to test for salmonella". Too small to swab with a Q-tip for a slide or culture dish? B.S.! That's not even a well thought out guess. I wish those who don't know what the hell they are talking about would stop cluttering pages with useless answers, and stay out of the way of those here who do know what they are talking about.

http://nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet.php?toc_id=208

Third, DON'T EVER take your reptile outside in the sun in it's aquarium. Certainly not for "half the day"! Glass or plastic habitats retain too much heat. It will quickly get too hot and kill your turtle. The turtle needs UVB, but if you can't get a light yet it only takes about 20 MINUTES sun a day to meet the required UVB exposure to produce vitamin D3 for proper calcium/phosphorus metabolism. If you need to take it out for some sun until you get a UVB light, then take it out of the tank and sit with it in a partially sunny area.

You need first to identify with certainty what you have, making sure it is a water turtle and not a tortoise or box turtle. It wouldn't be the first time that an uninformed person here put a tortoise in a tank of water to drown.

For more information and to ID your turtle go to:
kingsnake.com ( appropriate turtle forums ) and post pictures.
See also Austins Turtle Page, www.boxturtlesite.org, and www.anapsid.org for more care and diet information for turtles and reptiles in general.

Answer 2

The turtles in general arent illegal if they are sold under 4" then its illegal just because they are to small to determine if they have salmonela or not, and the measurement goes by the length of the shell. I raised them and from experience they are very dirty, they are sloppy eaters and make lots of filth, so have an awesome filter for them, turtles are swimmers so i wouldnt go with any smaller than a 20 gallon long aquarium, while its only really small of course, then increase size as the turtle grows, I fed my turtles vegetables chopped small enough they could eat them, as well as turtle pellets and feeder fish, they need a basking spot as well and a uv light, I would just have the light on while i was awake and turn it off when i went to bed, my turtles were healthy and i never had problems with them, they are fun:)

Answer 3

If you are referring to a red eared slider turtle which is one of the most common turtle pets, the illegal part is for a pet store to sell them when they are smaller than 4 inches across the shell. It is not illegal to have the babies, just to sell them when they are too small. You can tell if its a red eared slider
because its got red on the sides of its head behind its eyes.

If you think you have a red eared slider google it and you'll find lots of info. add "baby" and you should come up with help on raising the little guy. But heres some quick tips.

If you have a red eared slider baby, he does need to swim, but the babies have been known to drown after getting too tired in too much water. You should give him a big space of water but the water level should be so that he can swim but then stand up in the water to get his head out and rest and breathe. I would recommend a water level up to the top of his shell, but watch him and see if he can easily stand and rest in the water with is head out.


Another thing that is necessary for your slider (if thats what you have) is sunlight. If you cant get the turtle's aquarium in sunlight for at least half the day you need to get a UV light. You will also need a heat lamp and a water heater as they like temperatures around 75-80 degreesF in and out of the water. While he is little a heat lamp will probably do the trick to heat the water too since there wont be very much there. depending on where you live also depends on if you need a heat lamp. If you have a lot of sunlight the sun should keep it warm enough and you might need a heat lamp at night.

Answer 4

I used to buy those turtles downtown all the time. Once, i thought romeo was sick so i took them to the vet and got in trouble because they are illegal.
Usually the turtles are sold with small food pelets.
there is one thing you should be VERY careful of, one of the main reasons they are illegal is because they are known to carry salmonella. If your kids touch them, in any way- even touch the water, you have to be very careful to make them wash their hands.
Go to your nearest petco and get these poor turtles a proper home- they do require heat so a small uv light, a large enough tank to allow movement (not the one they are sold with, it is too confining and they will die quickly. ) Then build them a sort of beach using the gravel you can find at the aquarium department, let your daughter pick it out so that she starts learning responsibility for her new pet, you have to make her understand that it is her animal, not yours- otherwise youll get stuck taking care of them. Make an area for the turtle to eat and get out of the water, and an area for it to swim. put the food in a seperate area because they are extremely messy and it gets all over the tank. they live a long time and they are entertaining pets. You might want to think about getting it a companion, they need friendship.
Though they are illegal, you have it now so keep it and take care of it- otherwise its just going to end up being killed.

good luck, if you have anymore questions, just ask!

Answer 5

This is so sad, I hate black people who think and behave like this. I am not telling you what to do or anything, but you should not give your daughter a perm, she is too young and may not be able to take the pain. Have you ever wondered why black boy's who wear their hair long and in braids and what not, hair grows faster than black girls? It is because when you put chemicals in your hair, it damages it and cause it not to be healthy or grow. There is nothing wrong with afro puffs. You need to teach your daughter that natural hair is beautiful, there is nothing wrong with having some nice afro puffs I am sure she looked cute. Sorry this had to happen.

Answer 6

Find out what kind of turtle it is and google a caresheet.

Answer 7

you only need about 3 gallons of water. also, make sure there is a patch of land in the container

Answer 8

5 gallons of water?
Probably not ... more likely a 5 gallon aquarium ...
You can set up a lovely habitat in an aquarium that size,
but a smaller aquarium will do just as well.
Stop by your local pet store and consult with them ...

The site below (PDF doc) is a great reference!
http://www.petco.com/caresheets/turtles/Turtle_Painted.pdf

As for being legal, that varies with location ...
Federal Links: http://www.fws.gov/
http://www.cites.org/
US: http://www.api4animals.org/b4a2_exotic_animals_summary.php
http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/stateconservation.php
By state:
AL: http://ipl.unm.edu/cwl/statbook/alabam.html
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/users/cguyer/herplist.htm
AZ: http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/herp_regs.pdf
AR: http://www.snakesofarkansas.com/
CA: http://ipl.unm.edu/cwl/statbook/califo.html
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stuscac...shgcode5000.htm
CO: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fis...pdf/huntabs.pdf
CT: http://www.northeastans.org/docs/ct-laws.pdf
DE: http://www.delcode.state.de.us/title3/c072/index.htm
FL: http://ipl.unm.edu/cwl/statbook/florid.html
http://www.calusaherp.org/business/laws.htm
GA: http://www.reptileeducation.com/index.php?pid=14
ID: http://www.ecosnake.com/faqid.htm
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/wildlife/...phibreptile.cfm
IL: http://www.agr.state.il.us/Laws/Regs/AnimalWelfareReg.pdf
http://www.montysreptiles.org/regulationsforinil.htm
IN: http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/endangered/regs.htm
MD: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/captive.asp
MS: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwpdf/dfw_...ed_cwd_regs.pdf
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/131-23.htm
http://www.maturtlerescue.org/ma_turtle_la...regulations.htm
MN: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/lists/state-mn.pdf
NE: http://www.sos.state.ne.us/business/regtrack/reg_docs/2006061610636.doc
NV: http://www.ndow.org/about/license/fish.shtm
NH: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/N.../herp_rules.htm
NJ: http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/permregs.pdf
http://www.realmacaw.com/pages/njregs.html
NM: http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/NMAC/parts/ti...19.035.0010.htm
NY: http://www.wnyherp.org/reptile-laws/
NC: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2005/...ML/S1032v0.html
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorca...ns_11152006.pdf
OH: http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/PDF/pub03.pdf
OK: http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/regs/huntregs6.htm
PA: http://www.fish.state.pa.us/fishpub/summary/repamp.html
RI: http://www.uri.edu/ce/rinhs/pdfs/rinhp/rare_animals.pdf
http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fis...pdf/huntabs.pdf
SC: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/wmas.pdf
http://www.scstatehouse.net/CODE/t50c015.htm
http://www.scstatehouse.net/coderegs/c123.doc
TN: http://tennessee.gov/sos/rules/1660/1660-01/1660-01-18.pdf
TX: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/...les_amphibians/
http://www.kingsnake.com/stha/texas.html
UT: http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/proclamations...ns_reptiles.pdf
http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r657/r657-053.htm
VT: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs/vt.html
VA: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/nongame.asp
WI: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/captive/HerpsRegs.pdf