11/18/2024
I have thought about this turtle and all it has been through in its very short life so far and it breaks my heart. This red eared slider hatchling made its way to me on Saturday. This turtle was treated like a cheap novelty item. It was given away as a party favor at a child's birthday party. I am unaware if any supplies or housing was given away with it. I am guessing probably not due to the cost of those things. The parents of the child that received this particular turtle did not want it. Most parents were probably not happy with their child coming home with something alive that now needs to be fed and cared for. Luckily this turtle was given to someone who knew of us and our core values here. This lil' turt is now set up with the proper lighting, heat, filtration and basking area. I am unaware how many of these turtles were given away and I hate to think of what may have happened to them if they were not accepted by their new families. How many were "set free" (sentenced to death), flushed (sentenced to death), or left for a child to care for with no adult guidance or support (sentenced to death). The message that I would like to put out there to the sellers of these turtles is "Shame on you". The money made on selling these turtles is not worth their lives. Lives now that will most likely be short and painful. The message to the parents that gave these turtles away is also "Shame on you" you are basically teaching your children that their lives are disposable. You are also putting the parents of the children in an awkward position. What if they can't afford to care for it properly? What if they can't have pets where they live? What happens if one of the children that you gifted a turtle to gets ill because they didn't know what precautions to take? Are you liable? The unfortunate scenarios are endless. The paint on the shell is most likely to indicate the turtles gender. This one does appear to be male. This is an awful practice as it blocks the turtles ability to fully benefit from UVB exposure (that is if UVB is even provided). If this is not corrected and the turtle survives, its shell will not be able to develop properly. Its shell will be severely deformed. These turtles are not novelty items and should not be treated as such. They are living creatures that deserve our respect and now that they are in captivity, deserve to be taken care of properly. This also goes for the goldfish given away at carnivals, the "baby dragons"(anoles) given away as prizes or sold at the Ren Fair and the hermit crabs that are sold by the thousands every summer at the beaches. I have not said everything on my mind about this but I will spare you anymore. I have said this before and I will say it again and again. When it comes to how we treat and care for animals, we need to do better. We ALL need to do better.
