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Small red-eared slider turtles could return as pets
Categories: Development, Media
I had one, my brother had one, my best friend and her brother each had one- those cute little turtles that lived in the small, fake ponds with the small, fake palm tree on and even smaller island. We all had them when I was a kid and we loved them. They all seemed to meet sad ends; my friend's little sister speared their turtle with a dinner fork, the cat ate my brother's turtle. But while we had them they were great fun. Then they were gone from the pet stores.
It turns out the small red-eared slider turtles that my friends and I thought were so cute were actually banned from all sales in the Untied States because they carried salmonella. After time of playing with the cute creatures, kids would put their fingers in their mouths only to be hit with a nasty case of salmonella. Turtles with shells smaller than 4 inches were banned in hopes that fewer kids would keep the creatures and the instances of salmonella poisoning would diminish.
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu, is now hoping the turtles can make a comeback as households pets. She claims that new technology, created in her home state, can sanitize the turtle eggs and allow the wee babes to hatch and lead salmonella free lives.
While I have many fond memories of our small turtles, I am not sure I would get any for my kids even if they were salmonella free. My recollection is that they met too many sad ends. I think we'll stick to the trusty old one cat, one dog formula.
Do you have small turtle memories? Please share.
It turns out the small red-eared slider turtles that my friends and I thought were so cute were actually banned from all sales in the Untied States because they carried salmonella. After time of playing with the cute creatures, kids would put their fingers in their mouths only to be hit with a nasty case of salmonella. Turtles with shells smaller than 4 inches were banned in hopes that fewer kids would keep the creatures and the instances of salmonella poisoning would diminish.
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu, is now hoping the turtles can make a comeback as households pets. She claims that new technology, created in her home state, can sanitize the turtle eggs and allow the wee babes to hatch and lead salmonella free lives.
While I have many fond memories of our small turtles, I am not sure I would get any for my kids even if they were salmonella free. My recollection is that they met too many sad ends. I think we'll stick to the trusty old one cat, one dog formula.
Do you have small turtle memories? Please share.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sadie 6-28-2007 @ 4:48PM
http://www.youtube.com/v/wfh_5Z0k8do
Reply
Rachel May 6-28-2007 @ 7:03PM
FWIW, the "under four inches" law has a loophole. You can have one if it's for educational purposes. I have two smaller turtles that were donated to my classroom, and I had to do some digging to determine whether or not we could have them.
Pretty much anyone can claim "educational purposes".
Reply
kevin 7-01-2007 @ 4:53PM
not all turtles have salmonella; especially the ones in united state where the health of animals are wayyyy better than other countries. i bought mine in china on the streets and i brought it into canada. i've always handled my turtle and i believe there are many occasions when i touched food and put it in my mouth after handling my turt. ban the selling of turtles under 3 or 4 inches won't help with anything. if they are going to have salmonella they will have salmonella. my point is you americans always have stupid rules and stuff. no wonder the rest of the world hates U.S.
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Christine K Wilson 7-06-2007 @ 8:27AM
The red eared slider or any turtle for that matter is a serious investment if your intentions are to keep alive to live to its full size of 8 to 12 inches and ripe old age of 20 to 30 years. It is not a good pet for small children and cannot live in a small pond with a plastic palm tree. Expenses involve heaters, basking lights, canister filters, a 10 gal tank to start and eventually a 50 gal. They are messy pets and their environment needs to be cleaned at least twice a week if you do not have the proper "very expensive" filters. Failure to keep the tank clean results in deseases for the turtle and eventually death.
The red eared slider should remain banned if not for fear of salmonella the at least for fear of untimely deaths of millions of baby turtles.
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