Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anybody have any Spotted Turtles in their collections? I hardly know anyone who has one or had one or even seen one. I'm looking to get one but all the ones I see on sales are $200 or more. Anybody know where I could get one cheaper?
Michael Fedzen

>Does anybody have any Spotted Turtles in their collections?

Yep, three, purchased this summer; mine are not for sale or trade.

>I'm looking to get one but all the ones I see on sales are $200 or more.

You are checking the classifieds on Kingsnake, right?

>Anybody know where I could get one cheaper?

The less common, and protected, animals are bound to be more expensive.
HOWEVER, if you live in a state within their natural range, they may be protected. Which state would you want them shipped to?

I usually have people asking me often if i would be intrested in doing a trade for spotteds, usually in the spring time i get groups on trade, ( probably w/c ) I would just watch the classifieds, it is a bad time of the year to get adults, baby's are always for sale (i sold my last spotted baby for $85 shipped) I would watch turtle times also

Andy

RedoFootMan@yahoo.com

Spotteds are great little turtles. I have five hatchlings. Hatchlings go up for sale on the classifieds pretty often and its not uncommon to find them well under $100. But please, try to stay away from wild caughts.

Andrew

I cannot agree with nor emphasize enough the comment on "stay away from wild caughts" with spotted turtles as well as other taxa.

One of the most common conversations I have with hobbyists/herpers in various situations/forums is the discussion over the Asian trade in turtles and tortoises. People always express shock and horror over the problems that face a wide array of Southeast Asian taxa (click on the WCT link below for a complete pictorial on the Southeast Asian trade under "China Animal Markets" ) .

It is at that point that I always steer the conversation back to home (the United States) and ask folks how we as a society are any different or better? Terrapene (box turtles) are under tremendous pressures all over the country, wood turtles are becoming scarcer and scarcer in the wild as are spotteds, Blanding's, and common and alligator snappers. Gopher tortoises are under truly incredible pressures in Florida as well as elsewhere and CDTs have been decimated out west.

We have to take ownership of our own issues in our own countries as well as work with others to make a difference. By purchasing a captive bred baby guttata, this is one simple way of helping decrease that pressure on our wild native populations.

Dr. Chris

Ps. Folks like George and Martha Ann Messinger (and others like them) will always be heros to me. They almost singlehandedly helped stop the export of tens of thousands of box turtles from Louisiana annually through legislative changes in the state.

World Chelonian Trust

Hey,

How difficult is it to mass-breed spotteds compared to let's say red-eared sliders? Anybody know how they differ in clutch size, hatchling mortality, etc? If they can be reproduced by larger amounts, I'm sure more people would like that (they stay small, really pretty, etc) and allow their prices to decrease a bit.

Johnny

I wish prices would decrease. I hear they are pretty common in some areas of West Virginia. Maybe I'll head down there and try to get some adults and start a colony in my backyard pond. I know alot of people refrain from getting WC ones but I figure, after they lay eggs and I hatch them the babies will be CB. Then maybe I'll sell them for cheaper prices than ones on the market(I'd only want one not 15).
Michael Fedzen
Contact Me

Spotted turtles are protected in West Virginia as well as most states where they reside. They are actually not very abundant in West Virginia, only occuring in the panhandle bordering VA and Maryland, in localized areas. West Virginia specimens also are almost completely black, rarely having spots, with many populations lacking spots all together, so trying to sell hatchlings of these would be difficult. Please don't take WC adults, their populations are under too much threat from development, collectors, and roadkills.