Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i think ive said before that i work at a petstore.. now.. not so much at this time of year, but especially during the early summer, we get a lot of people who find boxies and want to keep them as pets.. of course, the legality issue doesnt phase most people... and i try to explain that thier numbers are dwindling due to people capturing them.. but most people just dont care, and want to keep them in a little tank forever... i had a lady yesterday who was practically begging for my permission to keep this box turtle they found because "our son has just fallen in love with it"... i kept telling her that it was best for the boxie to be released back where they found it.. and that i could order her an asian box or something similar if she really wanted a pet turtle... but she wanted me to tell her it was ok to keep it.. i refused and told her she needed to let it go and as soon as possible (as its getting cold here) so it could properly hibernate..

has anyone got an argument for letting them go that will get through thick skulls? ive explained all the legal points, and the fact that sometimes they just refuse to eat, etc.. and that they arent "easy" pets (not pets at all in fact, but wild animals..) but i need something with impact that will shake the vision of having a cute little turtle to play with ..
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

>>has anyone got an argument for letting them go that will get through thick skulls? ive explained all the legal points, and the fact that sometimes they just refuse to eat, etc.. and that they arent "easy" pets (not pets at all in fact, but wild animals..) but i need something with impact that will shake the vision of having a cute little turtle to play with ..

I teach an animal class for 1st- 6th graders every June and this happens every June. They find a turtle and want to keep it. What I do works for most of the people but not all.
I tell the parents on parents day that this is an excellent opportunity for you to teach your child that we as humans must be responsible and leave wild animals in the wild where they belong. It's better to disappoint the kids now, they'll get over it, we need to we teach them a valuable lesson that will last a life time.
I tell this to the parents & kids:
Living animals are not toys, they are not ours to take on a whim. Wild animals need to be left in the wild because if we keep it we can't give it what it needs & it will die.If it's left in the wild it can breed so that we'll all have them to enjoy forever.
They all know that the turtles I bring in have problems, have been hurt and can't live in the wild anymore. I don't want to be a total hypocrite here because they know I have turtles but they also know that I get these turtles to a vet & pay for it, I know the parents don't want to pay a vet so usually they listen to me.

I tell parents & kids:
When we take an animal from the wild to force it into being a pet then we are harming it and the last thing we want to do is harm it because when harm it we are being cruel to it.
I try to make the kids understand that the world doesn't revolve around them. I always ask the kids this: "Wouldn't you feel really bad if a beautiful wild animal died because you were being so selfish that you put what you want above what that animal needs?"
Kids can understand that concept. They also want the approval of adults & I can't tell you how many kids have come back to class & proudly told me that they let a turtle go where they found it because they didn't want to harm it.

With most kids this sinks in, with some they seem like they live on another planet & won't ever get it but.. my point is I try to get through the parent's heads that if they give in today & let the kid keep a wild animal for a pet that's going to die, then right now at this moment they are missing a huge opportunity to teach their kids a bigger life lesson.
A lot of parents really do respond to that concept, so maybe give that a try. Good luck!
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PHRatz

When I worked at the petstore usually the best way I got people to let turtles go was to almost tell them their kids will get severely sick playing with wild turtles due to salomonella and parasites and such. Even though its only partially true it usually scared them enough to let them go and get a captive bred animal. I also plain out told them the turtle is probably going to die and do the want their child to watch the animal "they just love" die a slow painful death or do they want them to learn a valuable lesson, that wild animals are best enjoyed in the wild. I also talked to the children if they were old enough and asked them "do you want your turtle to be happy?" they usually said yes, and then i would tell them that turtles from the wild cannot be happy inside and they will get sick. I ask them if they remember when they are sick and how yucky it is and say "you don't want the turtle to be sick and feel yucky do you?" . . . of course words change depending on age, but anyway, usually all of this convinces them to let the turtle go and go with something captive bred or even different, like a frog or leopard gecko or something

Well I just thought of something good to say at this moment:

Tell the kids that if they do take turtles from the wild, they are helping in killing off the turtle population and as a result, there wouldn't be any turtles to keep anymore. An even better idea is to say you will report them to the division of fish and wildlife and have them arrested and fined if they keep the turtle.

very nice.. thank you all.. ill try to incorporate that into my "just because you can catch them doesnt mean they are tame" speech... if anyone else has any other suggestions, fire away..

i am working on writing a sheet on why baby turtles cant be kept in plastic bowls.. after that i may be writing one on why you shouldnt keep wild animals as pets.. specifically boxies..
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my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.

"An even better idea is to say you will report them to the division of fish and wildlife and have them arrested and fined if they keep the turtle."

LOL...i was gonna write that too.

I don't know...I was a very stubborn child and loved turtles so did all the research I could to keep one. I admit when I caught my first painted turtle at a local pond, there were a group of kids around and they all wanted it. I told them "i'm just going to keep him for a while and then release him later."

The turtle's been with me for 14 years now (since April 1991. =P I'm guilty and I know it. All my other turtles however, have been bought or someone gave them to me because they didn't know to raise them.

>>The turtle's been with me for 14 years now (since April 1991. =P I'm guilty and I know it. All my other turtles however, have been bought or someone gave them to me because they didn't know to raise them.

ROFL!!!
You are an acception though. I realize a lot of taken from the wild turtles will live but the problem with most people is that the majority of those turtles won't live because they have no idea what they're doing. It's a whim for them, not a life time commitment.. I want them to know that a pet is for life & try to get that across to them too.
I watch these kids, most are totally irresponsible which is fine because they ARE after all kids.
I want them to know that as the newness wears off & they start to ignore that turtle it's going to get sick and die and that is not fair to the turtle.
Getting it written down on paper for parents to read is a GREAT idea though. People don't always hear what you say but if they can read it, it sinks in.
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PHRatz