Equipment Review and Discussion :: where can you purchase little turtles?

[2Daughtry8]

Not sure if this is the right place for this post, but when I was given my turtle the end of August, PetCo told the person who gave it to me that in the US, they aren't allowed to sell turtles smaller than 4". I come on here and I see people talking about hatchlings, and see people with tiny turtles. Where do you get tiny turtles from?

[megcornell]

It is illegal to sell hatchling RES in the U.S due to heightened salmonella concerns. In some states, RES are illegal altogether because so many of them are released into local ponds and are out-competing the local turtles.

People do however sell baby RES in less than desirable conditions similar to the goldfish you win at fairs.

I advise people against buying hatchlings because of the despicable care they are given by their sellers. Not only are you furthering their businesses, but your chances of buying a sick hatchling are very high.

[MTski]

I was wondering the same thing...i want to get a yellow bellied slider but i didnt know where to get one. So you dont recomend buying online? Thank you

[megcornell]

I don't really recommend buying turtles period. There are so many herp and reptile rescues that have wonderful turtles that need good homes.
If you do decide to buy a turtle, I'd do my research and find a responsible and reputable breeder, not an online store.

[MTski]

Alright sounds Good Thanks

[mat012]

We found ours in a parking lot near a densely wooded lot. In retrospect we probably should have released him away from the road, but we love our little guy and he is well taken care of - ahem spoiled.

[Bascomb]

My last two turtles were bought at a animal fair. I purchased 4 and only 2 survived. I did not go there to buy turtles but felt sorry for the condition and brought them home. The two hatchling are now 2 1/2 inches and are doing well. It cost me a whole new set up but that is one of my weaknesses. If I had a pond I would have bought them all -- Oh Well --
b.

[chrisinva]

I got mine from a small petstore in Ohio...They never said anything about the 4 inch rule...I found out about a week later...I am happy with my babies

And from what I hear the 4inch thing is just to keep little kids from placing the turtles in their mouth...but of course it is illegal to sell them so....

[TheComputerGremlin]

I got mine from a street fair a year ago. I'm amazed, but he lived, even after I found out on here about the deplorable conditions they are kept in. He was in a rubbermaid container with like a hundred other turtles. I found this website well after that (and discovered that the cute little 1.5" turtle would get BIG). A lot of people get a turtle and then find this website and have to deal with the problems of a baby turtle. Rescue groups are definitely the way to go, even pet stores that sell turtles over 4" are often in terrible conditions ...

[PcBuilder14]

Got mine st local pet store.

[untsmurf]

I got mine from a kiosk at the mall. He was in a ten gallon with maybe 30-40 other babies. It is illegal to sell them when they are under four inches, but once they get that size, they've lost their "cute little baby" appeal which is what causes most people to buy them. So most shops will just illegally sell babies.

[jada311]

The specialty store in town sells them, but petsmart and petco don't. It is illegal to sell hatchlings here unless they are more than 5 or 6 (I can't remember) generations domesticated. They don't want people taking them from the wild.

[Turtle Guy 11]

If you go to a local pet store and they have them they will most likely let you have one!

[JAS722]

I bought 2 hatchlings in July when I was in Hilton Head Island, SC. They sold them in one of the gift shops. There were about a hundred in the tank. At the time I had no idea of the care they required. The jerks that owned the store said they required the same attention as a goldfish (clean water and daily food) what IDIOTS!!! Because my baby boy hatchling DIED yesterday even though I had done everything to prevent it! They probably took horrible care of the little guys and I'm sure I bought him sick. I WOULD NOT but a hatchling from a sketchy place like this. Just a warning.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

I've never seen anything but RES hatchlings in any pet store locally. I've seen larger exotic turtles & tortoises, but not RESs.

In fact, we were surprised by how big RES turtles tend to be at many pet stores in the US that we have been to. Not to mention that they are about a third of the cost of the hatchlings here too.

The explanation we have heard (& read about) is that the 4" law in some states was intended to ensure that someone buying a RES saw how big they were and was thus only inclined to buy one if they were prepared to provide proper care. In other words, supposedly, no more abandoned RES because they were bought as a hatchling by people who thought they were cute but didn't realize that they can grow to 12" (requiring a 120 gallon tank) and can potentially live to be 30 years old or more.