Every summer I teach a class at the local college for kids 1st-6th grade. It's a summer enrichment program held every June for these kids. There are 150 or so classes, I teach Reptiles & Rodents.
There are 2, 2 week long sessions so on the last day of each session we let the kids do show & tell because that's also parents day. The parents can bring the pets for the kids & then take them home so the kids aren't dragging a pet around with them all afternoon.
They can bring in any small pet that they have, no dogs or cats. They always bring in a lot of box turtles.
This year a kid brought in 2 turtles, I figured they'd both be box but no. The first one he pulled out was an adult male yellow mud. I couldn't believe it, they have this turtle living in the backyard with box turtles!
Thankfully the parents were there when I said "Oh wow that's a yellow mud!" The mother said "Really? We thought it was a desert tortoise!" Holy cow if it had been a tortoise, they'd really be in trouble since it's illegal to keep a TX gopher tortoise without a permit. We aren't even in gopher tortoise range here anyway. lol
Good thing I had my field guide with me so I could prove to them it's a mud & needs to be set up like a mud not a box turtle. YEESH!
That was a first for me to see a kid bring in something other than a box turtle.
I gave the parents Internet info so that they could do further research, I hope they did it.
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PHRatz

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