How legitimate is purchasing turtles off the internet?

turtles
m68blazin asked:

I am interested in buying a rare turtle on the internet. I am a little perturbed buy the fact that my very expensive turtle will be sent through the mail. Has anyone ever done this before with turtles? if so, are the turtles bought on the internet legitimate and will they be alive when i get them?



Comments (2)    Posted in Reptiles    

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2 Responses to 'How legitimate is purchasing turtles off the internet?'

  1. Ellieetastical. - August 18th, 2009 at 1:33 am

    It depends if the Turtle has been bred in captivity or captured illegally for the pet trade. If you’re American I found this helpful bit of information.

    “Federal law prohibits the sale of any turtle with a shell smaller than 4 inches.”

    I would advice you check online for reviews of the vendor of this Turtle.
    Also check about the species and laws surrounding it. It would probably be better to look for breeders of this species of turtles, as you can guarantee there welfare and legality. However, it’s legal to buy them from the internet. I can’t say whether it’ll be alive or not however.

    Hope this helps.

  2. peek praying 4 my Mom - August 21st, 2009 at 11:13 am

    Please don’t buy live pets and have them shipped, in a plastic bag filled wilth water and air and people tossing you all over in trucks and ..gosh it saddens me to even wtrite this. They never last. Check your fish and game dept and shelters fore slider rescues. People dump, toss these guys all day long. Petco?
    They cost more than you would ever expect.
    I know .Sliders, cooters , painted, map, yellow bellied all are basically the same and require the same basic care.
    I have had my 2 slider girls for 36 yrs. Plus an 8 and 5 yr old and now a 2 yr old adopted from this site.. Been in a pond for almost 7 yrs now. Got them on my 18th birthday! I am 54 do you realize how long I have carted these 2 girls around for? The money I h ave spent. I know with 5 in a pond spend up to 225.00 a month in food,greens, SOME dried worm cubes and fish!

    The bigger the environment the bigger the healthier the turtle. Remember 10 gallons for every inch of turtle. I have used kiddy pools and plastic pond liners from most nurseries and worked great.
    Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA/UVB for 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.
    Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always. These turtles in captivity do not hibernate their eating may slow down some but they will not hibernate.
    Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they **** allot.
    Total Body length: 5-8″ average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years
    Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about 3” across.
    You need a good filter system! Gravel larger than they can swallow.
    You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear in a few days!
    This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!
    They sleep at the bottom of rivers, streams. lakes or ponds or your tank to avoid predators like coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, possums, raccoons and even some wide mouth bass.
    TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!
    They can have garden worms, meal worms, snails, crickets, flies, crayfish small frogs, dragon flies and anything that moves only as a treat.
    They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.
    You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose.
    **Swollen cloudy eyes means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

    Contact the “www.anapsid.org/societies, for a turtle vet / rescue in your city and state.

    I wish you luck. Sorry for the rant, if you just scan this site you will see so many issues with sliders not cared for properly.


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