Pond turtles

[rubybeetle]

I saw an ad for pond turtles--has anyone ever put any in their pond? It seems like a cute idea!

 

[Dani]

I wouldn't do it. I had a friend who kept pet turtles. She feed them goldfish. I don't know if all turtles eat fish, so be careful.

 

[Melos]

In New Jersey, it is actually illegal to keep turtles as pets. I'm not sure why. I wouldn't mind having some turtles around my pond. I think many eat worms and insects as well.

 

[tater03]

wow i have never heard of this. Will have to look into it more. I think this would be neat, myself. Does anyone on here have any?

 

[TheWriteKind]

I do know that it is illegal to have some turtles as pets. Check with your local zoo or animal agency to find out your areas rules on turtles.

 

[Badazzteacher]

Illegal to keep turtles as pets? Never heard of that! I was thinking about it too, but I am worried that it'll crawl off, dry up, and die!

 

[SumpNFishy]

Not sure what kind of turtles they are selling. Painted turtles are pretty common in most of the US. I have one that shows up occasionally but doesn't stick around long (see pic).

I kept them as pets as a kid and they will eat anything they can catch. So they will eat your fish.:goldfish:

 

[leeannecastro]

I used to have red-eared sliders. They will eat fish. They eat feeder goldfish. I thought they would not eat fish bigger than them so I added a large Pleco and a large gold fish. They ate the fins off the goldfish and then small bites. It was soon dead. I have heard they will also take chucks out of large Koi.

 

[DrDave]

Mosquito fish are very fast and smart. It takes draining and making sure nothing is put back in that has them in it.

 

[Turtleman]

I have three pond size painters. Mine will eat smaller fish (5 inches or less) if they can catch them. Painters are basically vegetarians, so they will love your water lettuce, anacharis, hornwort. They don't seem to like any lily's. They like to pack hunt and corner a fish in my tank. In my pool they don't bother the fish are too fast. They love to eat the bugs.

Bob.

 

[elroyjetsn]

I'd like to find a few spotted turtles for the pond. They stay pretty small, but are VERY hard to find... Wood turtle are common here, but they have accute homing instincts so they won't stick around for long. Painteds are everywhere so they're a shoe-in.

 

[Turtleman]

Check your state's DNR rules for turtles. In Georgia certain types of turtles you can't keep, even if you buy them from out of state your not allowed to have them (ex. spotted turtle you can't keep as a pet). Certain states don't allow you to purchase certain types (spotted, exotic, snappers) without permits.

Thomas

 

[DrDave]

And who is going to know if you have a turtle that is not permitted???

 

[elroyjetsn]

Check your state's DNR rules for turtles. In Georgia certain types of turtles you can't keep, even if you buy them from out of state your not allowed to have them (ex. spotted turtle you can't keep as a pet). Certain states don't allow you to purchase certain types (spotted, exotic, snappers) without permits.

Thomas

Will look into that. In West Virginia the environmental laws are not a strict as in MD and most other states. IE, you only need a $15 permit to have a Bobcat as a pet. I'd be surprise if anything but possibly a wood turtle(federally protected) would raise a DNR eyebrow.

But, best to be safe:wink:

 

[Turtleman]

I mentioned the environment laws cause a whole bunch of people in Georgia were cited for having spotted turtles and snappers. The State DNR went into their yards, ponds and aquariums and took out the turtles. Seems lots of people turned them in.

In Florida a lot of the breeders were put out of business. They didn't have the proper permits.

This all stems from the silly law that states you can't sell turtles smaller than a quarter (approximate) or ship them interstate. It seems some little kids decided they were good to fit in their mouths and eat them. So if you buy them small you must claim they are for educational use. Silly law.

Thomas
Turtleman