Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:21 pm
Again, it seems like sellers who were caught selling illegal turtles are giving out wrong information. My guess is they want to encourage you to buy animals they can sell and discourage you from taking your business elsewhere.
I've checked and checked and have not found anywhere that says turtles (aquatic or land) are illegal to buy. The only exception to that are turtles that are not native to the U.S. It is also illegal to sell turtles that are not native to the U.S. or smaller than 4" in shell length. Some states have laws that make it illegal to buy specific protected species of turtles, particularly those that are not able to breed in captivity or that captivity of the species will decrease the wild population, but that's as far as I've seen.
Several turtle sellers have been arrested (recently one in Ohio) for sellling turtles not native to the U.S. I think these arrests have sparked this misinformation.
My babies: Tanner (RES), MR. Prissy & Ringo (budgies), Shinju (cockatiel)
"Little dudes are just eggs, we leave 'em on the beach to hatch, and then — koo-koo ka-choo! — they find their way back to the Big Ol' Blue"