Other Turtle Discussion :: How would I go about...

[Peva]

How would I go about getting a baby red eared slider? I heard it takes 6 to 10 years for them to become fully grown. So that means getting a baby, male or female, a 55 gallon tank would last a couple years before i need to upgrade. Soon I will have the tank, and then all the materials (stones at bottom, basking light with bulb, filtration system, underwater heater, did I forget anything?) to start off, and I want a companion, so getting a baby would be optimal, since they can live up to three decades if properly taken care of. There are two pet stores close to my house, one is at a mall, and sells RES, but not babies. There's also a Petsmart which sells RES but I haven't checked it out yet, but I assume dose not sell hatch lings. What would be the easiest way to get a new little RES?

[jozzep]

Pet stores by law cannot sell turtles under 4". To be honest NOBODY can sell turtles under 4" but the way to get around this law is claiming they are sold for "educational and research purposes" and not as pets.
The best way to find a baby RES is to visit your local china town (if you live near one) or buy one online and have it shipped overnight to your home. This is not the cheapest option since you will end up spending $40.00 on shipping shipping alone, for a $10.00 turtle.
Thats why people that purchase turtles online, usually buy more expensive and exotic turtles that make it worth spending the money for the shipping.

[Peva]

Wow, yeah no Chinatown, buying one online seems kinda cruel, whats the easiest way to buy a 4 inched?

[SINI5T3R]

Peva, I baught my baby turtles on the side of the road lol. people all over here in Arizona sell them. i found some REALLLY small ones the size of a nickel once too...

I would go to www.turtlesource [not reputable].com and just spend about 70$ all together on a nice baby RES OR get a really nice looking turtle for around the same price like a Yellow Belly Slider or something exotic. I myself want to get a new turtle soon from that site. they have a NICE selection too.

[jozzep]

Wow, yeah no Chinatown, buying one online seems kinda cruel, whats the easiest way to buy a 4 inched?

Like you said, go to the store and buy it. Or find a reptile expo near you and buy one there.
It seems cruel to people who have never received or shipped turtles or any reptile. I can assure you it's not. Turtles in pet stores and reptile expos have it a lot worse than the turtles shipped by mail. If shipped properly, they're in an insulated box with a heat pack that keeps the temps in the 70's for 48 hours, even if the trip itself is a lot less than 24.

[SINI5T3R]

Wow, yeah no Chinatown, buying one online seems kinda cruel, whats the easiest way to buy a 4 inched?

Like you said, go to the store and buy it. Or find a reptile expo near you and buy one there.
It seems cruel to people who have never received or shipped turtles or any reptile. I can assure you it's not. Turtles in pet stores and reptile expos have it a lot worse than the turtles shipped by mail. If shipped properly, they're in an insulated box with a heat pack that keeps the temps in the 70's for 48 hours, even if the trip itself is a lot less than 24.

Yeah some places do it really nice. I have read that the site i listed above has great delivery.

[n00bEmpty]

My friend bought his map turtles at kingsnake.com. Look at the classifies and pick turtle and type in the name of the turtle you like, turtlesource [not reputable].com advertises on there. But unfortunately my friend bought more then he bargained for and received two of each turtle instead of one, so now I'm raising them, baby turtles seem to be able to recognize the guy giving them food pretty quickly. Even my quarter sized RES that I had for about a week and a half know that I give him food.

[Peva]

Ok, so how much would it cost to get a little one for "Educational observation" on average, with shipping included?

[jozzep]

Ok, so how much would it cost to get a little one for "Educational observation" on average, with shipping included?

turtlesource [not reputable] has a great reputation, but the prices are close to double normal prices.

Overnight shipping is around $50.00. Add the the price of the turtle (RES are usually around $10-$12) and you have your total.

[Peva]

Ouch. $50 for shipping, and hatchlings have a high probability of not surviving the first year, huh?

And also, looking on that site (the turtle source) when I go to red eared sliders, it only sells adults.

[Sir Max]

A week or so ago i looked at turtlesource [not reputable].com and they had hatclings..perhaps they are out of stock?..as for legal purposes and the 4 inch rule..i didnt have to worry about that being as its legal to sell any size of turtle where i live

[Peva]

Well if they are out of stock, then that's OK cause I am not quite ready for the turtle yet, but maybe im not navigating the sight correctly. Can someone go check for me and see if the same thing happens to you? And also, I can probably get my biology teacher to sigh something saying that I am "Observing the eating habits of a non-human omnivore" and not keeping it as a pet.

[Peva]

Oh, and if I buy a hatchling, it wont have the yolk sack, will it?

[jozzep]

Well if they are out of stock, then that's OK cause I am not quite ready for the turtle yet, but maybe im not navigating the sight correctly. Can someone go check for me and see if the same thing happens to you? And also, I can probably get my biology teacher to sigh something saying that I am "Observing the eating habits of a non-human omnivore" and not keeping it as a pet.

Oh, and if I buy a hatchling, it wont have the yolk sack, will it?

They don't care what YOU do with the turtle. You don't have to say anything, just pay for it. The "educational purpose" deal is just the sellers disclaimer to watch HIS butt.
And no it will not have a yolk sack.

[Sir Max]

Im not sure about the yolk sack.

but yes you are correct on the website i looked for you

EDIT: Its not like they will ask you if its for educational purposes so you dont have to bite your nails over that..it isnt as complicated as you may think to purchase one