Baby Turtle's

[TheNewMrsEvans]

It is illegal to sell babies, but for a very odd reason...
All turtles can carry Salmonella, but a small turtle can be put into a child's mouth! Thus making a kid sick...just don't lick them and you'll be ok

I will warn you though that for our two adult females we have a 100gal tank with a very powerful filter, $$$$. Just be prepared as a good pet owner. Babies grow up!

 

[theOEGBman]

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Yep, I was hoping someone would chime in with that. Its the 4 inch law, I believe. They cant be smaller than 4 inches long/in diameter, I honestly dont know. I never really followed that as Im not a huge turtle/tort fanatic. They are adorable, but like someone previously said..."Saving" them just means more will suffer. Calling on them is better, IMO.

 

[redhen]

try repticzone.com..they are pretty good there...or turtleforum.org....best of luck!..and thanks for helping them out!

 

[theOEGBman]

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Im over at Repticzone all the time, totally forgot about it! Some of the kids there are total idiots like you find at most forums, but a lot of the people are very knowledeable.

 

[redhen]

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Im over at Repticzone all the time, totally forgot about it! Some of the kids there are total idiots like you find at most forums, but a lot of the people are very knowledeable.

yeah..i know some are idiots..lol..but some have really helped me out..like reptictay...and they usually give good info sites also...gotta take it all with a grain of salt...what do you have?.., wendy

 

[gaited horse]

good luck with the turtles

 

[Epona142]

Please do a ton of research! I have kept many species of turtles and bred them, and this is a species that can be difficult to care for. Please know that you need 10 gallons for each inch of turtle, and female RES can get very large. You will also need a filtration recommended for TWICE the tank size, because turtles are dirty critters. I have never kept RES in tanks past babyturtlehood, I have a completely enclosed and escape proof, and very large, pond for my happy turtles. RES also love deep water, but also need a place to bask under a GOOD UVB light. Without this and calcium supplements, they can develop terrrible problems such as MBD, a bone disease, or soft shell, resulting in death.
RES also love a largely varied diet.

Anyways, good on you for rescuing them, though in those situations I tend to try to just walk away, because if you buy them, they will buy more turtles. Its hard though I know. You may want to find someone who is better equipped to keep and house them, unless you feel you are up to the task. If you are, I wish you the best of luck! I love turtles, have as long as I can remember. I have one stinky old turtle who I hatched out when I was six. Well he's really not that old ha, for turtles anyways.

If you don't want to tackle such a difficult species but still want turtles, I would recommend a mud or musk turtle. My person favorite is Stenothernus oderus, the stinkpot musk turtle. Extremely hardy, and they stay pretty small. Pretty inexpensive too.

Enough of my blabbering, feel free to pm me anytime if you need any specific help.

Edited to add: Oh about Salmonella. While there's no telling if these turtles have it now, its not really a huge issue unless you feed your turtles raw chicken. You should always take precautions and wash hands after handling turtles or anything from their tank, though, just for safety!

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

ILLEGAL in Oregon..

About 10 years ago you could keep them here.. But now only schools or zoos can keep them.. Fine is up to $1000 for each turtle you have.. I guess released or exscaped turtles wiped out some of our native species.. Or made some species rare..

 

[Pinky]

My slider grew very big ,and I ended up building a decorative pond out in the yard for her.She was so sweet.She learned to eat treats from my hand,but she loved turtle pellet food.She would never eat minnows,or any living thing,she was afraid of it.They can live for a long time.She is still growing

 

[Cetawin]

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I am sorry but no they do not. All farmed red ear sliders in the united states are vaccinated against salmonella and have been since they became legal to sell again after a ban.


Those sliders are babies and the legality or illegality depends on your State and sometimes county laws. They are harder to raise than most species and can get large...average is around 8" diameter. I use the shells of them for rattles and bags. I buy them directly from farms in Lousiana.