I made the mistake of purchasing one of those red eyed turtles from Florida. I find out later they are illegal to own in Tennessee. I also feel bad because the turtle just sits in it's glass aquarium. I would like to know if there are any options for providing it a better home.
2007-05-23 02:23:10 · 19 answers · asked by Fred Head 4 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Buy a bigger tank? You're kind of stuck with it now. You could give it to the Humane Society but they'll probably just euthanize it if they're illegal in your state.
2007-05-23 02:27:34 · answer #1 · answered by star_lite57 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in FL too, but am very familiar with Tn's climate. Please DO NOT let the turtle go. Florida animals are not adaptable to certain things like.....snow.
Contact the Wildlife people close to you. I know here in Fl there are certain turtles illegal to keep as pets as well, but if you should find an injured or displaced one, the Humane Society will take it and nurse it back to health with the goal of returning it to it's environment. My dog attacked a large turtle once, all I had to do was fill out a form so they could track where it came from. Their goal was to return it as close to it's "home" as possible.
2007-05-23 02:49:18 · answer #2 · answered by christelle k 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. The laws that protect turtles, etc. are such that you will rarely get in trouble after the fact. Don't get another, but don't worry that anyone will 'bust' you for this.
2. If it is illegal to own (and often it is just against a federal regulation, not an actual law- and the federal 4" regs do not really apply to individuals), then it may be tough to find a place for it locally.
Try your local pet shops, herpetological socieity, nature center, or aninal welfare organization for ideas.
2007-05-23 08:49:39 · answer #3 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh..."Get rid of" -- I kow you want to find a good home for it, so perhaps that might be abetter phrase to use.
If the turtle is illegal, then you NEED to contact your local wildlife rehabilitator.
Since I dont know exactly where you are in Tennessee, I Googled:
wildlife rehabilitator Tennessee
and got a WHOLE bunch of contacts.
I don;t know if this link will work, but here is the Google link:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-10,GGLG:en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=wildlife+rehabilitator+Tennessee&spell=1
If that link (above) does not work, then Why don't you Google
wildlife rehabilitator Tennessee
and contact the place nearest to you (and if there is no one close to you, contact one or two groups anyway, as they may very well have rehabilitators who LIVE in your area and commute to work) and they WILL find THE PERFECT HOME for your turtle
2007-05-23 02:33:05 · answer #4 · answered by aattura 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can buy it a bigger tank and do some research on how to make it more of a natural enviroment for it. As for it being illegal its kinda too late to get rid of it. The cops are not going to come to your house and ask you if you have an illegal turtle. they have better things to do plus they dont know so you have nothing to worry about.
2007-05-23 17:51:44 · answer #5 · answered by thx1120 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello...hopefully you too have learned your lesson about doing homework BEFORE getting any pets !! The worst thing to do is let it go..not because it might die, because it can ruin an enviroment..as reticulateds are doing in Florida because they aren't native, got too big so people released them & they are wreaking havoc on the Native Population..if you can't find a good home for the turtle..you should have it euthanised, DO NOT RELEASE the turtle !! Take Care :)
2007-05-23 02:54:23 · answer #6 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't put it in a river!! Not unless it's indiginous to the area... are there other red ear sliders in the river? Releasing animals into unfamiliar habitats can wreak havoc on an otherwise balanced ecosystem, not to mention the effects it would have on the turtle itself. Take it to a pet store or sell it to someone, but don't release it into the wild.
2016-05-20 22:16:36 · answer #7 · answered by holly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call your state's Agricultural Department and tell them what the situation is. They will tell you what to do. Don't release it in the wild because the turtle may never survive the weather or become a menace. Do the right thing this time.
2007-05-23 02:27:48 · answer #8 · answered by DAR76 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think they are illegal to own in TN, you just can't buy them. There is a guy close to where I live that takes them and let me tell you they live a life of that only a king could live. He has his hole house in turtles and just spent 10G on new tanks and setting them up. Holler if you need any help.
my e-mail is ukeeplooken@yahoo.com
2007-05-23 02:51:22 · answer #9 · answered by Just needen help! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take it to a shelter. Its a Red Eared Slider. Its only illegal if its 4 inches or less in the USA.
Why do people buy pets they know nothing about?
2007-05-23 06:06:00 · answer #10 · answered by Devi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋