Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just want to comment on how different it is up here. By up here i mean Canada. I'm assuming most, if not all of you are from the states. You guys have a 4-5 inch rule, we have none. We even sell babies turtles with their egg tooth still on. That's the age i got all of mine at from the pet store i used to work at. It's not just my old job either. At the pet store i work at now i get kids coming in with their coin sized turtles asking what size tank they need. When i show them, they gawk, and not surprisingly. It is true at least in Toronto that it's harder to find stores that sell turtles. We've only carried turtles once in the last 8 months of work even though we get requests daily for them.
when we first got in turtles at my old job i was totally in love. These ultra cute little buttons with eyes swimming around, how could you resist. I did a lot of research and took home 2, i now have 3. It breaks my heart a little that most of the turtles sold will die and sooner rather than later. even at a $50-$60 sale tag most people still see turtles as disposable pets, plunking 2-3 in a 5 gal tank with no heat, light, or dry land.
anyway, that's my little rant about Canada
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- Melanie

2.0 cats
1.0 leopard gecko
1.0 Bernese mountain dog
2.1 red ear sliders
1 south american cichlid tank
2 planted tanks with dwarf cichlids and platies

Melanie,

Why not get with Turtle Homes Canada, and see if you can make a flyer poster that you can put up in a few places, such as the local vet(s) office(s), home improvement stores, and so on?

I have a single-page flyer that has a picture of a slider, and the minimum requirements for adoption (tank size, filter, UVB lighting, heat ligth, ect.), and website and phone number to call to check on adopting. Even if people don't adopt, they will understand that there is more to caring for a turtle than a small tank! Plus, if they go to a website where there are links, they might learn more before they get a turtle, or learn better how to care for a turtle they already have. You could include a website that doesn't do adoptions, such as www.chelonia.org, so that people will have a good website to investigate.

Katrina

Sad but so true!! yes At my pet store,Any turtle under four inches is sold for educational purposes only!!, yes there are ways around this, so when ever someone comes to our store and thinks this little button w/eyes is so cute they just got to have one, I make sure to give them the complete lo-down on what they need to keep him happy and healthy, those who seem that they dont want to spend the money i will pretty much discourage on buying a turtle, I also make sure they give me a call if they have any problems and of course we will always take the turtles back if it gets to be to much for someone to handle, this usually happens quite often